Ripples
by WikketKrikket
Summary: AU A Princess is kidnapped, and with a rescue party like this... things may get messy. Can they avert another war? Written for Scooby2408's b'day! Author name changed from Waffles4eva
1. Royalty

A/N: Hello, everyone! This fic of mine needs to be explained a little first, so please bear with me for the next paragraph. I wrote 'Ripples' for my friend, **Scooby2408**- please go read her fic- as part of her birthday present. As such, it is written designed specifically for her; which means it has a little more melodrama then I usually like, some inside jokes and, more importantly, it has some original characters from my other fics, not to mention alternate versions of myself and my friends running about. If you don't like that sort of thing- and normally, I must confess, I hate self-insertions and only write them for **Scooby**- please feel free to leave now. Otherwise, please enjoy the story!

…Oh, one more thing. The scene at the start of the fic is taken from the world of **Scooby's 'The Flight of Dreams'**, which is her fic where she, our other friends and I take the place of the Yu-Gi-Oh characters. Please read it! Anyhoo, the opening scene is set at the part of the memory ark, on the boat towards the sacred duel thing. I couldn't remember the names **Scooby** uses when I wrote this, but here's how they line up: Izzy becomes Danielle (**Scooby)**, Alyssa becomes Jozan (Me!), Cassie becomes Amnis, Sam becomes Cloward, and Jenny becomes Karne. I think. _(Sweatdrop) _Still not too good with the names…

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. I only own all the original bits of the story (duh) and the characters that aren't real people who obviously own themselves. :D

**False names are used to protect the innocent… the readers! XD**

Wow, that was a depressingly long note! Thanks for sticking with me! Without further ado, I shall present Ripples. Happy birthday, **Scooby! **

_**RIPPLES**_

Once Upon a Time, in a land far, far

Far

Away…

Part One- Royalty

**Danielle hung over the edge of the stationary boat, silently looking out to sea. The others had all disappeared below the deck, and the she was alone. Even her Yami had withdrawn from her. Perhaps he was running the events of the past through his mind just as she was. Places they'd been, people they'd met, duels won and lost- More often won. The next duel would be the last, though. Then she really would be alone. **

**"Mmm, the air feels good…" Jo stated, announcing her presence on the deck. So much had changed in Danielle's life, and so much would be different by this time the next day, but Jo had remained a constant fixture. She had always been there. "After being in ancient Egypt all that time, it feels nice to have some wind off the sea!"**

**"Yeah…" Danielle agreed, half-heartedly. Jo came to join her by the railing, as the boat began to judder slightly. It was almost time to go.**

**"Have you decided who's going to duel the Pharaoh yet?" Blunt as ever.**

**Danielle nodded. "I will." **

**"I thought you might say that." Jo smiled wryly, before looking down to the water, an inky blue colour as the evening progressed toward night. As another breath of wind flew over the water, the liquid itself moved and was alive. The trees tossed, and a leaf detached, dropping into the water, and sending ripples out all around it. **

**"Some people say…" Jo began, watching as the patterns spread. "That if you look into ripples you can see the future; or that ripples can show you another world, where everything and everyone is just a little different. Mistakes you've made, good things you've done, every decision- all different. New places and new circumstances… New personalities."**

**Danielle stared down to, but all she could see was the reflections of the stars before the boat started to move and the ripples were consumed by the spray from the engines propelling them through the water. **

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The girl was lead towards the edge of the pond, not doubting her mother for a moment. The rest of the village was gathered around, waiting, with bated breath. As they came closer, the mother let go of the girl's hand, pushing her gently towards the clear water. She knew what she was supposed to do. She had been taught what she would have to do on the day she turned five years old. Only hesitating to see if her mom was watching, she carefully selected a pebble from the ground. It took some doing, but at last she found a nice, round, smooth one, buried beneath the pine needles that littered the floor. It was just a little heavy, and felt right in her hand. This was the one.

It did not stay in her hand very long. She waded into the crystal water until she was submerged up to her ankles, and threw the stone. It arced gracefully, cutting cleanly through the air before dropping into the water with a definite 'plop'. From the epicentre of the impact, the ripples, the patterns in the water, spread. The small child scrutinised them, and then, there it was. The image was in her mind, rippling to fill her entire head, blocking out her real vision for the moment. There were wings before her, shining in the sun. They were layered and feathered, brilliant white, and she heard someone gasp and exclaim in surprise, yet compared to those wings they didn't matter- but just as she reached out to touch them, the ripples dissipated, and she turned back to face her audience, stepping out of the water, and attempting to dry her feet on the grass.

"Well?" The mayor demanded. "What did you see?"

The little girl frowned, thinking it rude to be interrupted when she was trying to get the water from her feet. However, she had always been strictly instructed that she had to be nice to the mayor. "I saw the water go funny." She described. There was a sigh of disappointment. "And then I saw some wings out in the sunshine. There were some people talking, to." She added.

Silence fell.

Suddenly, with a rumble like thunder, the assembled villagers began to cheer and jump up and down. She smiled uncertainly, not quite sure what she had done.

"Well done!" Her mother cried, scooping her up and hugging her hard. "Well done! You did it! You did it! And _wings, _to! That's good luck! I just _know _you're going to be fine now…"

That birthday, everyone seemed to want to celebrate with her. She heard a lot of people saying that they had to report this, and then maybe they wouldn't be attacked; maybe they would even get special privileges. She wasn't entirely certain of what a 'privilege' was, but it sounded good, and judging by all the grinning faces around her, it was a thing that would make them very happy. Only one face was not smiling- the face of her best friend, biting her lip and looking very worried indeed.

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There was flame everywhere. Fire, burning, and smoke. Screaming, running, panic, disorder, chaos. In the midst of it all was one very scared five year old, calling for her mother. Her mother answered, but could not reach her. They were separated by men, brandishing swords and spears, cornering them off; leaving her quite, quite alone.

"Run!" Her mother yelled. "Run, run! Go!" She did, running as fast as she could, and headlong into one of the frightening men. He took her over to a carriage, dragged her in, and shouted at the man at the front to get them out of there before they burnt to. She looked back, and saw, for the last time, the face of her friend, looking guiltier then the time that she had hidden the woodcutter's axe and forgotten where she'd put it. This time, she had not hidden an axe. So there was no reason for her to look such a way… Then the solider grabbed her head, twisting it brutally around to keep her facing the front.

This was when the little girl came to build her first solid idea of the outside world. War was a bad thing.

_Twelve Years Later…_

_**The Kingdom of Nrefder**_

The walls were several feet thick, hung with rose-coloured curtains and a magnificent tapestry to hide the brick. It muffled the sounds. But the wooden door only amplified them. The shutters on the windows were thrown open, despite the fact that it was night time, and sound invaded in through there to. She could hear people running backwards and forwards, and sounds of chaos and disorder. There was someone in the castle. But she did not go to face them. She'd been locked in her room, behind that heavy wooden door, and she refused to throw herself at it in an undignified manner. That didn't mean she was content to sit there, though. She just needed to find a way to sneak out. The locked door may be for her protection, but she had not given consent, and she had no intention of allowing her men to fight for her while she hid from whatever problem had emerged at this time of the night.

She stopped sitting on her bed, climbing to her feet, and going over to her wash basin. Pouring out some water, she was able to see her reflection and calmly began to fix her hair as she tried to think of a way to get out. If she was going to be in danger, negotiating, or any such matters, she wanted to look impressive. Most Princesses would not have been able to do this for themselves, but she had always been different, ever since her parents had died. Now her Uncle was the reigning Prince Regent, but it was coming to an end- the throne would be handed to her when she was eighteen, just a week away. She was determined to be a just, kind, wise ruler; like her father, but she wouldn't tolerate ambushes like this. But she didn't know how to get out of the room. It frustrated her. It almost seemed as though the tree, felled in the forest and carved into a door, was having its revenge. Staring down into the water, still moving slightly from being poured, she could see nothing but her own face. Some could see almost anything in the ripples, but she wasn't one of them. She saw short, brown hair and concerned blue eyes that seemed young and old at the same time. As always, she saw the face of Anzu, and nothing more. Not 'Her Royal Highness' or any such nonsense. If she allowed herself to think of herself as above others, she would believe herself to be invincible, and that was dangerous.

Just then, the door flew open. She turned, and, indeed, this was the one person in the castle who could divine something other than ruined reflections in ripples. He was breathing deeply, not unfit, but out of panic and exertion. He stood, his long hair even more ruffled then usual, his robes suggesting he had fallen asleep at his work again. They were simple, of black and white, with the Nrefder crest emblazoned on the back together with the insignia of a water droplet that singled him out as that country's Mage. The robes were too long, in an attempt to make him look even taller and more imposing, but only caused the sleeves to keep falling down and him to be forever tripping over the hem. It was the only thing that made him appear his age. He was no older then her, but having been in strict training and regime since he arrived at the school at the age of five, the years stretched invisibly between them. His talent was rare, and by now, honed and powerful. And yet, those powers did not seem a part of him at all.

"You must go." He urged, pushing the door shut behind him, all his usual formality gone in an emergency.

"What's happening?"

"Men are inside the castle." He replied. "They have unusual skill. I was the only one to detect them at all. They're being searched for as we speak."

Anzu relaxed slightly. "Well, then. When they're found, I want to speak to them personally."

"Your Highness, I-"

"I will be the Queen of this country in just a week, Ryou." Anzu interrupted firmly. "It is time I started acting like it. My uncle is a fine Regent, but he is no king. This is, by rights, my home and not his. I'll be the one who deals with them."

"You cannot stay here." Ryou said, desperation hinting at his voice. "…They will not be found."

Anzu bit her lip. "You mean you…"

"My very first vision was this day, this time, now." Ryou told her. "The men will not be found. But if they find you, you will be killed. You must go."  
Anzu straightened up. "That would be running away."

"Yes." Ryou agreed. "Run. I'll call you when it's safe."

"I will _not_ run." Anzu maintained, firmly.

"Your Highness…" Ryou protested. "Anzu. They're coming now. Please… Forgive me!"

She stepped back, tried to avoid it, but Ryou was a dab hand with jinxes and charms, and it reached her, locking her arms and legs together as though they were bound by rope. She was backed towards the window, and out of it, where she was lowered gently. On landing, her legs started to move of their own accord. The spell had weakened, making her move at more of a slow jogging pace than a run. Ryou was obviously being distracted. But he maintained it enough to prevent her from moving of her own will. So many times, Anzu had felt her life was like this- that it was out of her control. She stopped fighting the spell, promising that the moment Ryou delivered her to wherever he was sending her, she would head back. But before she'd even left the grounds, there were men around her. She couldn't move to fight them. She couldn't force herself into running faster. Seeing she was defenceless, they grabbed her, and although her limbs kept moving as though running, she got nowhere. She maintained a stony glare, refusing to cry out even when they gave a series of sharp raps to her head. It lolled to the side, and only then did the jinx finally remove itself from her.

_**The Kingdom of Noxell**_

The wooden staff, cut in the rough shape of a sword, came down hard and he raised an arm to defend himself, but the impact never came. As always, Jou was in control of what he was doing and stopped inches away from his face.

"Did you not teach me that the first rule of combat is not to have a soft heart?" Yugi demanded accusingly, from his undignified position, sprawling on the floor.

"Yeah, but anyone with any sort of honour doesn't hit men when they're down." Jonouchi replied, helping him to his feet. "Especially when he's already beaten that man a hundred times that day already. You're making this too easy."

"I'm sorry." Yugi apologised, picking his own disarmed staff up again. "I am in no mood to be ruthless today."

"That's why I'm supposed to be training you." Jou sighed. "But I'm beginning to think it's useless." He waved at Yugi, indicating that he should drop the attack position. "Let's leave it there for today."

"I'm sorry." Yugi sighed again. "A fine king I'll make. I'm not strong or courageous or passionate at all…"

Jonouchi hesitated before answering. "You may not be strong with your attacks, and maybe you're not hard-hearted or ruthless or a warrior; but you are a prince. You love your country and your people. They'll love you."

"Until the day we go to war."

"I am a knight, and I'm your friend." Jou reprimanded. "I'll help you. And I'll start now, by training you. Besides," He grinned. "What war? Once you marry the Princess of Nrefder, it'll bring peace to us, right?"

"That's why I'm going ahead with this." Yugi sighed. Jou attempted to look concerned, but it wasn't his strong point.

"I thought you _liked _her."

"Of course I do!" Yugi agreed, hastily. "She's brave and headstrong, and I've seen her at least once a year ever since I can remember. I can depend on her. I consider her a good friend… And our marriage would finally bring peace to everyone… But, considering her a friend or not, I don't love her." He looked at him slightly mournfully. "Surely, friendship would be enough…?"

"Yugi…" Jou said slowly. "I know about swords and sharp pointy things, but not much else. Still, if there's one thing I've learnt it's that power comes at a price. Perhaps for you, that price is… well, love." He shrugged. "We don't have the memories so many older people do. We've only ever known this… this uneasy peace. But there are people who remember the horrors of that war… you're the hope for them. You're the Prince. I hate to say it, but you just can't get cold feet on this."

Yugi was saved from replying from the door to the courtyard where they spoke creaking slowly open. A girl stepped out onto the wooden walkway, burdened with a large basket that she carefully manovered out of the thin doorway while trying to put on her outdoor shoes without the help of a maid in the way Yugi and Jou had. The basket was a large, wicker affair that only just made it out. It was empty for the moment, but when she returned, it would be bursting to the seams with unusual plants, herbs, leaves, shoots, roots, fungi, seeds. This girl, only slightly younger then the other two, was the Royal Mage for Noxell. People were older than their years in the country these days. Although only seventeen, she'd been in training for many years, and was now a master magician. Her specialty was in plants and herbs, and exploiting the natural properties in combination with her magic. And, apparently, it was time for her to go collecting again.

The Palace was orderly, and worked to routines. Just as Yugi was used to training each morning with his oldest friend and most loyal knight, they were used to seeing her passing by on her mysterious way. Indeed, no-one knew where she went to find her ingredients, just that she returned by midday with them. The mystery carried through to the rest of her life. Efficient and business like, no-one knew very much about her past. Presumably, like all the Mages, she'd left home at five to come and train, and had then been chosen to be taken to the palace at the age of ten, where she'd been living under the sloping, tiled rooves for the last seven years. Jonouchi could still remember the day she'd come. He'd been mucking out the stables that housed the Knight's horses, but he'd snuck out to see her arrival, in a grand carriage. She'd been escorted straight into the palace, and that was the last he'd seen of her until the party later that evening. Magic fades with age, so this young girl should bring new life to the Palace. No-one spoke of what would happen to her at the age of about twenty-five, when her magic would be completely gone; just as when Jonouchi became a full knight at the age of thirteen, no-one pointed out that he may end up in battle, that he may not live much longer should it come to war.

People were older then their years in the country these days.

Yugi was watching her pass, her hood pulled up as usual, navy-blue cloak ruffling in the slight breeze. There had to be something magical about that cloak, otherwise, in weather such as this, there was no point in it. It certainly seemed to have enchanted Yugi. She stopped, pausing on her way, and looked at the Prince. He went to go and talk to her. Sighing, Jou gave up, and went to supervise preparations for their journey the next day.

"Of all the times for her to show up…" He grumbled to himself, then sighed. "I wish it didn't have to be this way…"

Meanwhile, outside, the Mage bowed as the Prince came closer.

"Danielle…" He said, embarrassed. "There's really no need for that."

She shrugged, then, cutting straight to the point, asked him outright. "You're leaving tomorrow, correct?"

"That's right." Yugi nodded. "It's Anzu's eighteenth birthday next week, and the coronation just after that. It's expected that while we're there, the Prince Regent will… will want to make my engagement to his niece official. I'll be gone probably about a month or so, and then I'll have to go back in a year or two, so we can actually…"

"I know." Danielle answered, shortly. Yugi nodded again. Sometimes he forgot that she could know anything she wanted, if she could just examine the ripples in a moving body of water. "I want to accompany you."

"But… why?" Yugi asked, puzzled.

"I don't know." She admitted, letting the ghost of a sheepish smile onto her face. She was always unnaturally guarded against the Prince, who was, after all, just a boy she had grown up with. "But I saw myself leaving with you."

"Then I suppose I can't argue…" Yugi said, slowly. "But Jou won't be happy…"

And, indeed, he wasn't.

"We can't do that!" Jonouchi kept insisting. "Places in Nrefder are still hostile towards us! If we go in with a Mage, it'll look like we're going in expecting trouble! Trust me on this, Yugi, it's best if she doesn't come. You tell her, you're the Prince, she _has _to listen to you…"

But, of course, when she returned from her foraging and he explained this, she didn't see it that way.

"I must come." She insisted. "If I saw myself coming with you, then there must be a reason." She fell silent, having reached her small room that was in the cornerstone of the Nrefder-facing castle. A large window let light in, but it was dim, because the shelves that ran from floor to ceiling covered that to; making the light fall in bars of brightness and shadows. The shelves were also on the back of the door, but, by some miracle or spell, the things didn't fall off the shelves when you slid it open. However, it made it dizzying inside, so Yugi didn't shut the door behind him; worried he'd never find the way out. The shelves were piled high with bottles and boxes and jars, filled with plants loose, pickled, peppered, or half-eaten. Some of the more sinister items weren't plants at all- at least, none he knew. There were also books, on every subject known to man, a wider variety even then the castle's own library. They were catalogued in perfect order- that was incomprehensible to everyone except the Mage herself- standing straighter then soldiers on parade. Yet, despite the fact everything was sorted and organised, there was so much crammed in that it seemed cluttered and chaotic; and no spell would be able to change it. The room was simply bursting at the seams. Danielle struggled to find a space for her new items, and Yugi watched in disbelief as she managed it. Next, it was time to find the desk.

Lack of sleep, sugar, and eleven year old Mages do not mix. That summer, she had been working particularly hard on a spell. The country was suffering a blight of frogs turning inexplicably vegetarian and so eating all their farmers' crops. They had developed a powder to turn the frogs back to their old ways, but distribution was slow. Danielle had been working very hard indeed on a spell that would send them flying to their destinations with no human assistance. She had been working so hard that she had to consume plenty of sugar to keep herself awake, but it had been to no avail. She had collapsed, falling asleep at the desk, head straight into the sugar bag, spilling it everywhere. It turned out sugar was the key to activating the spell, as when she murmured the words in her sleep, the desk had suddenly sprung into activity. With no real destination, it had run around the castle and the grounds for a while, crashing through ornamental waterfalls and carefully arranged rockeries, shrubberies, and the trees dotted around, even managing to fall into the koi pond before eventually being caught by the guards. However, by then, Danielle had grown rather attached to it. And so, it had come to pass that she had an enchanted and rather mischievous desk that she had passed many a winter's evening teaching party tricks, such as how to change itself different colours, and invisible. Now, it was pulling that trick again.

"Peg Leg." She called, wearily, using its pet name. Having chased it round the grounds for well over an hour, and exhausted and enraged young squire by the name of Jonouchi had used the name as an insult; and, since then, it had stuck. "I'm not in the mood…"

The desk pulled itself out from where it had been hiding, blending with the shelves and walls around it, the clutter unnoticeable against the rest, and meekly put itself back in it's proper position. Danielle began sorting through the papers upon it, but hardly seemed to be seeing them, seeming flustered.

"What's the matter?" Yugi asked, eying Peg Leg warily. The desk had taken a likening to him, and liked to jump on him most of all.

"I tried to get more information from the Ripples," Danielle replied, frowning as she indicated the bowl of water left on Peg Leg for that express purpose. "But there was nothing. Just water. Either I'm losing my powers, or there's something weird going on."

"In other words, you're coming out of curiosity." Yugi sighed.

"No." Danielle shook her head. "I wouldn't come if I could possibly avoid it. But shields and swords are no use against spells. I must come."

"But when we return…" Yugi muttered, not looking at her. "I shall probably be engaged…" He bit his lip. "Doesn't that… bother you?"

It was some time before Danielle answered him. "If you marry Princess Anzu, even when you're both so young, it will be good for Noxell, and for Nrefder. With so many people being helped, why would it bother me? My advice, your Highness, would be to go through with it." She stood abruptly, heading towards the door, picking her staff up from the corner.

"You don't need to call me 'Your Highness'." Yugi told her, quietly. "We're old friends."

"Forgive me, your Highness," She replied. "But I think it's easier this way. I'll see you tomorrow."

Then, she left; leaving Yugi alone, with the exception of an unusually energetic desk.

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Ryou woke up with a mouth full of blood. On impulse, he spat it out, making an unpleasant stain on the Princess' bedroom floor. But it could be cleaned easily enough. Using one of the ornate tapestries as support, he clambered groggily to his feet, trying to push the pain in his head aside so he could think. He was good at thinking, but unfortunately, not much else.

Men had come to Nrefder castle, with the intention of either killing or taking the Princess, he wasn't sure. All those years ago, in a small town on the coast, he had thrown a rock into the sea on his fifth birthday and had seen the men taking the Princess, under a fine summer sunset. Of course, at the time, he had not known that this was the Princess of his country twelve years on, but that had come in time. And so, every summer, the guards had been extra alert; yet, in the long run, it had made no difference. They had got into the Castle, and though he had managed to get the Princess safely out of the room, they hadn't been too happy with him. Normally, even five skilled assassins such as they were would have been no match for him and his magic tricks, but his attention had been divided, trying to keep up the walking spell on Anzu. They must have knocked him out- he was lucky they'd decided not to kill him. Perhaps they'd tried to. He fingered the small, oval pendant under his robes and decided they must have tried to kill him, but succeeded only in knocking him out. That would be why he was so groggy…

And when he was out, the spell on Anzu would have failed.

Hastily, he shut his eyes, reaching out with his mind to try and find her. She wasn't in the castle. Heart heavy with dread, he moved out to search as far as he could. Before his mind could go out of the town, though, he was shook rudely back to reality, and found himself face-to-face with the Prince Regent himself, who wasn't looking too happy.

"Don't bother." He said, roughly, knowing full well what Ryou was doing. Once, before he had got older, he had been able to use magic to. "Now, stand up, and come with me."

The Prince Regent, Anzu's uncle, was a man of very few words, even more so since his brother's death. He wasn't comfortable running Nrefder either, and while he had kept everything afloat, he had changed nothing, made nothing better- the upside being he had made nothing worse. His role had merely to watch the country until Anzu was old enough to take her rightful place on the throne. Unfortunately, with just a week to go the celebrations, she had disappeared. And the Mage, following behind him, was partly to blame.

"I assume it was you who put the Walking Hex onto Anzu?" He asked, gruffly.

"That's correct…" Ryou answered, cautiously.

"Then you got distracted." He continued. "So she was too slow, and completely unable to defend herself."  
Ryou stopped dead, staring at him. He couldn't even bring himself to ask.

"The men caught her. While we were running around inside looking for them, they escaped out of the front." Ryou stared at the floor, but the Regent, business-like as ever, continued his matter-of-fact monologue with barely a pause in the narrative. "This is a vital time for us. When Anzu turns eighteen, this country will have a new ruler, and things are all ready for an alliance between us and Noxell- between her and Yugi, in marriage. He's due to arrive today, on top of it all, and he may be a little surprised to find the Birthday girl isn't here." He turned to face Ryou. "So, we have a kidnapped Princess on our hands. And if _you _couldn't stop them, we're going to need our very best knight. Find him."

Ryou bit his lip. "But I've tried to find him before, it's never worked! I don't know how, but he's beyond any reach of my magic…"

"Then find him on foot." The man shrugged, heading out into the grounds in front of the castle. "I don't care! We must get the Princess back, and he is the only one with a hope!"

"Are you sure?" Ryou asked, shortly. "I would advise against it. He serves the Kingdom, not the King. He comes and goes as he pleases, and sticks to no code of honour of ours- he follows his own agenda… He's only a knight at all to ensure he won't turn against us!"

"Find him." The Prince Regent repeated, again, heading off to see to the remainder of his men. Ryou, not knowing what else to do, went towards the entrance of the castle. The Knight really was like the wind. He came invisibly and left as mysteriously, and certainly seemed to have no loyalty besides his word to Nrefder. What worried Ryou, however, was that he seemed to simply disappear for months on end, beyond even his magic. He only turned up when he was needed.

"How am I supposed to find him…?" Ryou wondered aloud.

"If I am 'him'," The characteristic voice replied. "Calm down. I'm here."

Ryou sighed again, and turned, smiling wryly. "I knew you'd show up if I said that. You really are one for dramatics, aren't you Seto?" Then he frowned. "I'm glad you're here, but couldn't you have made it an hour earlier? You could have stopped all this!"

"I have no time for dramatics. I'm here to do a job, and then I'm leaving." Seto stated, matter-of-factly.

"Well, you might want to wait a minute." Ryou answered, swallowing nervously. "It seems our guests are here."

"Oh, and the house is such a mess." Seto answered sarcastically, ignoring the visitors and heading towards the stable with his horse.

"You could at least _pretend _to care…" Ryou protested weakly, following after him.

"I've never done any such thing. Why should I begin now?" Seto did not turn around, didn't even slow his pace. "It's as you say- I have no loyalty to any person. Let's make this clear- my motives are my own. And if I do not make way for the Monarchy of my own country, I certainly won't do it for another."

"Fine…" Ryou sighed. "But… Will you help me rescue her?"

"You?" Seto, for once, looked taken aback as he passed his horse over to the blond haired stable hand who rushed eagerly to collect it. Ryou watched as the bay horse was lead away. He had no idea of it's name- Seto was an unusual knight. He was never seen on the same horse more than once, and had no land of his own. His knighthood really was just to ensure his loyalty. "I don't think you realise the danger, my _dear _mage. Blood will be shed. Don't your kind usually run and interfere only from a safe distance?"

"Usually." Ryou conceded, quietly. "But this is my fault. I will have a part in rectifying it."

Before Seto could reply, the Prince Regent and a host of household staff arrived to greet the guests, and, as one of the prominent members of the palace, Ryou hurried to join them, nearly tripping over the hem of his robe as he went. Seto raised an eyebrow slightly. Ryou was not the sort of person he would pick to take on a quest.

Cloward lead the horse that she had just relieved Seto of into the stables, absently stroking its neck. It was a beautiful horse, and so calm, she could hardly picture it dashing into battle. And yet, if it belonged to the infamous Knight of the Silent Wind, then he must be more ruthless than he appeared. Although some argued Seto was just a normal person undeserving of the name given to him, there was no doubt that he came and went without warning, with seemingly no pattern or way of knowing when he would be needed; and yet, he did. Perhaps he had magical powers to…

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"Did you hear that?" She asked her companion, pushing Seto's bay into an empty stall and checking that the door was secure. It wouldn't do them to lose the horse of such a very important person. "He's here. But he's going after the Princess, and the Mage is going with him. Should I send a message, do you think?"

"Not yet." Karne replied, continuing to shovel haylege into some of the empty nets, which looked downcast, deflated and empty, doing the work stable hands had every day; despite the fact that, in the palace, this was no normal day. She pulled a stalk from between her fingers before continuing. "The Prince and his party have just arrived. We may as well wait and see what they decide to do first."

Cloward nodded, and began innocently fussing over the horses like nothing had passed in amongst the smells of hay, horse, and dung that afternoon.

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Yugi, Jonouchi and Danielle set out the very next morning for the neighbouring kingdom. Although they were a small group, they were safe- Yugi was sure that between his best Knight and the Royal Mage he'd been fine even travelling through hostile territory. Yet, his heart was as heavy as the saddle bags they'd packed for the journey. He almost couldn't stand it. He had a great deal of respect for Anzu, he liked her, and he was sure she would make a fine queen. But… he felt far too young to be even _thinking _of marriage yet.

When he looked at his companions, though, he knew he had no right to feel too young for anything. Jonouchi had come to the castle at the age of four, and had been made into a stable hand. From there, he got into tussles with the other boys, and by the age of seven was squired to one of the knights. At thirteen, he was made a knight- ready to fight, and to die for Noxell. And now, at eighteen, he was still riding with a sword at his side, still living for Noxell and not himself. Yugi was not sure what had happened in those first four years of Jou's life, but he did know the other didn't want to tell him, and he knew that Jou could sober up from his optimistic self in a second and act twice his age.

Danielle, to, rode silently at his other side, absorbed in her own thoughts, her navy cloak present as always. She was seventeen, just a few months younger then them, but she seemed to have lead two or three lives already. She'd come to the castle at the age of ten and immediately began work as the Royal Mage. When her powers faded, she would probably be as good as discarded- reduced to working as a kind of glorified maid or teaching younger children with the ability. He'd heard she herself had come into this training when she was five, like every other child who had the talent to read ripples, but beyond that, he knew very little about her. He wasn't even sure 'Danielle' was her name. She'd left her home and family, wherever and whoever they were, behind at the age of five. Yugi couldn't complain about being too young for anything.

"We're making good progress!" Jonouchi said cheerily, as they stayed at the house of a Lord that first night. He was in a good mood- the one advantage of travelling with the Prince was that there was no sleeping rough. "At this rate, we'll be in a position to cross the border late tomorrow evening!"

"Where are we crossing?" Danielle inquired, making them both jump. Even by her standards, she'd been unnaturally quiet, remaining almost silent the entire day, bar responding to Jou's bait about her riding capability.

"Just outside Doneet village." He answered. "Otherwise, we'll have to go all the way around the outside of the Scar!"

Yugi sighed. "Don't tell me you believe that superstition… We could just as easily go through it!"

Danielle shook her head. "I wouldn't recommend it. Maybe it's not ghosts in there, but it's something…Besides," she shrugged "Doneet is closer. And we wouldn't want Jonouchi to lose his nerve…" She turned to Jonouchi and smirked.

As Jou began to argue with the Mage, Yugi attempted to tune them out, lying down on one of the room's beds. He had to admit, he was curious about the Scar, but it would probably be foolish to pursue that interest if Danielle and Jou were actually agreeing on something. The Scar was not the forest's _real _name, of course; it's geographical name was Border Forest, but that name was neither as accurate or as interesting. While it was true it marked the borderline between Noxell and Nrefder, and had done for centuries, it had come over time to be known as 'The Scar'. The reason for this was simple- in the years of war between Noxell and Nrefder, the immense forest was good cover for an army, and both sides knew it. The forest extended equally on both sides, although there was no clear marker which bits belonged to who, and extended a good long way. The maze of trees spread for miles in all directions, and were said to grow so close together that the floor and the sky both seemed black beneath the trees; but if that was true, Yugi didn't know how the plants survived in the dark. Still, there was no doubt it was gargantuan- they had been riding alongside it for the last hour or so before they'd arrived. However, for a while, this vegetation had not been so thick nor as flourishing. When the countries had been fighting, a lot had taken place there, and the cover of the trees had been raked and worn away as the forest gradually metamorphosed into No Man's Land.

Yugi did not remember the days when the Forest had been anything but, and the days of the war had been over before he was born. No-one had won, in the end a compromise was made as the men refused to fight and the resources were drained. The Forest had re-grown, and behind it the countries went about their business and tried to ignore the other- until now. In order for both countries to have assurance that an alliance was possible, it seemed they needed to know the other wasn't preparing a surprise attack, and in order to do that, it seemed they needed him to be engaged to Anzu. Yugi couldn't help but wonder if all the training Jou was giving him was worth anything- it seemed that the only way he could help his people was through political manoveres and deals. He had no problem with that, but sometimes he just wanted to do something more active to help. He was, with all frills stripped away, bored. Once again, he sighed in discontent. Danielle had finished teasing Jonouchi- a sure sign she, at least, was more relaxed out here then surrounded by the oppressive castle walls- and bid them goodnight, heading to her own room. She opened the door, and as she began to walk away, Yugi heard her being waylaid by the son of their host.

He silently began to prepare for sleep. He'd been riding all day, and his mood was not improving.

Danielle left the room Yugi was sharing with Jou- There was enough rooms for them to have one each, certainly, but Jou had insisted with his pig-headed stubbornness and dog-like loyalty that he was in the same room and Yugi- and began the short journey down the corridor to her own room. She was looking forward to bed, that was for sure. Something about riding didn't agree with her. Or perhaps it was the horse. She was sorely tempted to summon Peg Leg to her and ride him instead, but that might attract attention. Still, according to Jou, they should cross the border the next day. It was almost a shame. She was quite enjoying the journey. It was a completely new experience for her- she hadn't set foot out of the castle besides her foraging since she had entered it seven years ago, and before that, she had been confined to the school in Filey, on Noxell's coast. This really was her first experience of travelling, and she loved every minute, with the possible exception of the riding part. For the first time since she could remember, she wasn't a tool. Her job wasn't sitting and waiting for anyone in the castle or the surrounding town to come and ask her for a spell, potion or pill and then concede to their every command. Away from the austerity of the castle, she felt more relaxed then she ever could be in the pressed and formal atmosphere of the Palace, where every impression counted. This was a good thing, as she had a lot of teasing to catch up with. She finally felt she could act with the other two as if they were all old friends, which was the right and proper way things should be, as she'd known them so long.

Although Lord Creighton's estate was not at all what she was used to, made with far more stone and far less wood, with turrets and spirals as if it was in Nrefder, and she thought the stuffed animals, tapestries, and heavy portraits hanging on the walls in very poor taste, she loved the carpet. In the parts of the Palace that she frequented, the floors were made of rough wood, some of them outdoors as they led from building to building, none any more then a storey high, and even in the posher buildings, where she rarely visited, the floors were merely highly polished wood, just as everywhere else in Noxell- it wasn't that she wasn't allowed in the posher parts of the castle, it was that she preferred to avoid them- and the softness here, red with speckles of gold, shimmering in the light of the flames, delighted her. She understood how the flames of the lamp felt- desperately trying to get away, and yet needing the lamp to survive, and wanting something it couldn't have, those golden sparkles that were just unobtainable…

A cough alerted her to the presence behind her, and she forced herself to be still- just because she was startled didn't mean she could show it. Suddenly, she became aware of how exposed she was in comparison to usual. She had put her cloak in her room earlier that day, along with her spare shoes and the short, sleeveless jacket she usually wore. She was there, bear-footed as her outdoor shoes she had left at the doorway and the light slipper-like sandals for indoors were in her room, wearing only the simple tan dress that people hardly ever caught a glimpse of; and the Lord's son- she hadn't caught his name, although she had gone through the motions of the formal introductions- made the most of it, flicking his eyes up and down in a way that made her very uncomfortable, before settling on her face and meeting her eyes.

"Good evening." He said, calmly.

"Good evening." She replied, giving a quick bow and trying not to show how uncomfortable she was.

"I wonder if you'd be so kind as to step out with me into the garden…?"

Danielle thought furiously. She did not want to go anywhere with a man who slaughtered animals to display them on their father's walls, for he had boasted to her earlier while showing them around the place about his 'sport'. Now, she was a master of magic, staring people down, and polite declination. It seemed here she would have to resort to at least two of them.

"The Master's invitation is very kind…" She said, trying to sound very sincere, whilst looking him boldly in the eye with a look that had stopped even the pushiest customers in their tracks. "But it has been a long day and I am very tired…"

"This will only take a second…" He promised, beginning back along the carpeted floors towards the door, beckoning for her to follow. Heart sinking, Danielle realised there was no way for it to be avoided without insulting her host, so she followed him. The carpet eventually gave way to wooden flooring- for no Lord was rich enough to have carpet all through the house, and it just wasn't practical- and she felt slightly better with the familiar knots and whirls beneath her feet. Yet, she felt like she was back at the palace again, ready to do whatever was asked of her… She was almost certain he didn't just want her company. To her surprise, he drew back one of the sliding doors, and, in his arrogance, waited a good minute for a maid to come and help him with his shoes before stepping out. Then he turned and looked at her expectantly.

"I… I don't have any shoes." Danielle explained, hoping against hope this would excuse her. He sighed impatiently.

"Where are they?"

"I took them off in the main entrance."

He sighed again. It was a curious sound, coming more from his nose then his mouth, reminding Danielle of a horses' sneeze. "We're not waiting for someone to fetch them! You shall have to come as you are." When she hesitated, he snorted. "Don't be so arrogant! It won't kill you to feel grass beneath your feet!"

Danielle murmured an apology, but the words felt like the poisonous _Funke Yurin _toadstool on her tongue. She apologised because she had no other choice, but inside she was screaming at this hypocrite. As soon as she stepped down, he started off again, not even waiting for her to draw level with him, but leaving her to trail behind him like a reluctant dog. However, he had made one valid point- the grass did feel nice beneath her feet, and she paused a moment, feeling the cool soil beneath her toes, and looked up at the stars. Beneath the soft glow, a wind, carrying the chills of early autumn swerved to avoid her, and broke into millions of tendrils as it impacted on her skin. She could almost have forgotten her companion, had he not tutted in impatience once more for her to follow.

They walked through the moonlight garden, Danielle's detest of him sufficient enough to keep her a good two or three paces behind him at all times. They bent round through an alley of yew trees, before coming to the side of a pool, well-kept by the gardeners, with only the tears of a weeping willow tree and the reflections of the moon and stars snaking into the water. She had been right. Like everyone else, he merely wanted her to do a reading. And the sooner she did, the sooner she could go to bed…

"Please," he said, suddenly all polite again, "Oblige me by looking into the Ripples, and tell me what you see."

Silently, Danielle moved closer to the edge of the pool, waiting for the next gust of wind to send patterns skittering across the water's surface, and trying to focus her mind on the young Lord Creighton. Her mind, however, was tired and thoughts ran from it just as rain ran down from the eaves and guttering of the palace during the rainy season; and so, when the wind blew, and the water moved, it was not her decision what it showed her.

Normally in visions, the sound was dull and dimmed, but here it was the first to assault her as she heard the roaring beasts that moved past her at the most unbelievable speeds, that she was sure were not biological but did not know what else they could be, and she stood in a world of grey, where great stone buildings rose to height enough to almost block out the sun. She heard voices, and, to her surprise, could understand what they were saying. Turning, she saw a young girl in odd clothing slumped on the edge of the walkway, seeming upset. Then, a tall young man came and sat next to her, rousing her from her stupor.

_"Azreal!"_

_"Seto! What are you doing here? I thought you had a meeting!"_

_"I _did_."_

_"Then why…?"_

She didn't hear anymore of this cryptic conversation as the water in the pond settled and she was back in the grounds of Lord Creighton's estate. She sighed slightly. The vision had shown her nothing of any real relevance or interest, just a throw-away glimpse of another world. It hadn't even been another version of anyone she knew!

"Well?" He asked, seeming irritated. "What did you see of my future? Hurry, I need to know!"

Danielle knew she should lie. Most people didn't seem to comprehend that, particularly when a mind wasn't focused, it wasn't always the future people saw, let alone the future this man wanted to see. But somehow, her exhausted mind could think of no story to appeal to this appalling man. Instead, she gave one of her famous glares, and merely replied:

"I saw myself giving you an answer once you had gained some better manners." She coolly gave a little bow and began to walk back towards the house, trying to look as dignified as she could as she walked barefoot in the cold grip of the darkness.

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Just as Jou had predicted, they were ready to cross the border the next day. Doneet Village watched them carefully, bowing reluctantly to Yugi and the companions he rode with, not daring to put their trust in any scheme or idea of the government's, the one that had plunged them and the other border towns into the front line of warfare some twenty years ago. At the same time, Yugi was their hope that they would no longer have to live in a place hinging on the hope that war would not break out again. They passed without problem until they were almost on the outskirts of the village, where a young girl struggled with an unwieldy bucket of water she'd just drawn from the well. It splashed and slopped over the side, and, as it fell, it was enough to trigger another vision that Danielle could not push to one side. She drew the horse to a stop as her consciousness shifted to a new place, so she would not be riding blind; for now, all she could see was another place, another trail, with the same thundering man-made creatures as before, made of materials she could not name. Behind her, a large building stood, with letters of some sort along it's front that seemed to be giving out light in itself. She could not read the strange language, but stored the shape of the symbols- 'Morrison's'- into her mind for future reference. Then she heard footsteps, and was very surprised to see what seemed to be herself, walking along in identical clothing to another girl, who was talking rather loudly and rapidly in a language she had never heard and could not understand at all.

_"I can't believe that they dump the Music exam right at the other end of the day! I mean, what am I supposed to do! I can't get home and back…"_

_"You're coming to mine, aren't you?"_

_"Yeah, but… Oh, you know what I mean…"_

Her counterpart and the other girl walked past her without glancing so much in her direction, as well they should, as Danielle was merely peering in through a window that pointed in one way only. As they walked past, the brief vision faded, and she could see the dusty, winding track through Doneet again, with Jou's horse pawing the ground in impatience.

"All done?" Jonouchi asked, calmly reigning the bored horse in.

"Yes." Danielle nodded. "Sorry…"

"Is something wrong?" Yugi asked, concerned, as they continued their slow pace through the village. Danielle seemed to be lost in thought.

"No, I've just been seeing a lot of different worlds recently…" She paused slightly, wondering how to continue. "I… I saw myself, with another girl. And before that, I saw a man and a woman..."

"Who were they?" Jou asked, curiously.

"I don't know…" Danielle said, feeling wretched. "I felt like I knew the girl with me from somewhere, but… More then likely, they're just random people the ripples happened to catch sight of."

Of course, she was absolutely wrong. The ripples, as always, fell with purpose. Some of the people that had been recently made known to her would serve a far greater part in their travels then just a passing vision.

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The travel from the capital had been the shortest leg of their journey, and although they crossed the border that night without problem, it took them well over two hours to reach the nearest village on the Nrefder side. At first, it seemed no different to Noxell. The plants were the same. The grass was the same. The animals, or at least the nocturnal ones, were the same. The owl cried in the same way. Even the sky was the same, continuing regardless of any country's borders or boundaries.

Then they reached a village, and met the people.

Even though it was quite late at night, there was still a limited amount of activity. The Inns here seemed widely different to the quiet, civil teahouses in Noxell which would occasionally erupt into laughter and tear through the quiet of the night. The door to the bar here hung open on hinges, not slid at all, and light poured out along with noise of men singing and laughing in tipsy rowdiness. Already, Danielle could detect the reek of alcohol in the air, and wrinkled her nose. There were far better uses for apples and yeast then for cider and beer. Yet, it seemed the purpose of drink here was more to get slightly drunk then to socialise. As they stood, unsure of where to go, two men came flying out of the door, followed by a man, presumably the owner, who beat them with a broom until they managed to stumble away.

"Don't mind that!" He called cheerfully to them. "We jus' don't tolerate people that get that drunk round 'ere!" He went back inside, which immediately tumbled into another gale of laughter, blowing through the high eaves of the building.

"…The Ripples could have been wrong." Danielle said, eventually. "I think I'll just go home…"

"I think I'll escort you." Jonouchi agreed.

"We can't just leave!" Yugi protested. He _did _want to visit Anzu, even if he was a little more dubious about an engagement- an, indeed, about Nrefder. "…At least they're happy?"

"You are _way _too optimistic…" Danielle sighed. "Fine. Aren't we supposed to meet some sort of Royal Guard around here?"

Jonouchi nodded, and then snorted. "How like Nrefder- they're _always _late…"

"Well, actually, we've been waiting three days." A cheerful voice came from behind them. They all turned their horses as fast as they could, Danielle admittedly slower then the other two. "So, well, we were early, and, well, you shouldn't insult us, good sir…"

"Um… Sorry." Jonouchi said, sheepishly, nodding his head.

"Well, I accept your apology!" He smiled. "Well, then. Well, shall we go to where we're camping?"

"That would be very nice." Yugi smiled. "Thank you."

He bowed. "Well, it's my pleasure, your highness." He walked off, leading them, still on horseback, along at a slow pace. He didn't seem to be ready to say anything else, so Danielle decided good manners demanded a proper introduction; although she had never attempted it on horse back before. Luckily, as Yugi was there, it was his job, so she shot him a look, suggesting he should do so. As he always did, he picked up on her thoughts immediately.

"Oh! Please, allow me to introduce my companions." He said, formally, and their guide turned around. "This is Danielle, the Mage of Noxell…"

"Pleased to meet you." Danielle muttered, bowing as best she could while balancing on a horse that hated her. He didn't return the bow, which she found very rude.

"And this Jonouchi, the bravest and most loyal knight ever to grace Noxell."

Jou gave a little nod once again, and once again, the guide did not return it. "Well, sir, you look very different from our knights!" He commented, before adding his own introduction. "Well, I am known around here as 'Well', on account of, well, my tendency to over-use the word well. I'm the second in command of the Royal Guard, and I will be, well, in charge of the journey. The captain sends his apologies that he couldn't come, but, well, our own mage foresaw some difficulties, so the captain remained behind to ensure that, well, these difficulties will not arise."

"Difficulties?" Yugi echoed, anxiously. "Is Princess Anzu safe?"

"Well, she is quite well, sir." Well replied, smirking. "Please, do not, well… underestimate the Royal Guard of Nrefder. We're more, well, dangerous, then we first appear."

He took a step forward, and for a moment, a fold of his strange clothing fell back, revealing a knife hidden therein. Something told Danielle that he wouldn't be the second in command if he didn't know how to use it.

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Anzu awoke slowly, and immediately knew she was far, far from home. The floor beneath her was made of polished wooden boards. She had seen a floor like this only once, visiting the Royal family of Noxell. In Nrefder, the floorboards were rough and uneven, and hidden away, but this floor was as smooth as the silk that covered her bed, although not as comfortable. Slowly, legs aching and arms tied behind her, she managed to sit up.

A man was watching her closely, surveying her every move, and probably had been for some time. He knelt on a cushion, but somehow gave the impression that he could move with cat-like grace in a split second, and do what he liked with her. He had a face that seemed to shy away from her eye's very glance, with skin that was neither pale nor dark, and was too short for his face, stretched tautly over his rounded chin and bald head, curving down over cheekbones, one marred by a scar that ran down to his neck, as though someone had attempted to decapitate him and had given up half way through. Apart from the scar, his face was unremarkable, until you reached his eyes. In one, he had obviously been injured or suffered from illness, because it was purely white besides veins standing out in stark red and a sickly blue coloured patch that might once have been an iris. Beside this sightless eye that he made no attempt to hide, he had one that was a brown of just the right reddish tones to make it seem as though blood had been thrown and had dried there. He shifted slightly, and, under the sleeve of his sky-blue robe, it did indeed seem the skin had been stained up to the elbow. Many makers of clothes or dyes suffered this affliction of stained skin, but here it just reminded her once again of blood. He'd hardly moved, and yet, Anzu felt she had got the measure of the man. She could smell that he had very recently washed well with faintly lemon-scented soap, but, to her, he still seemed to reek of death. She attempted to rearrange herself into a more graceful position and met the eye that could see her, but she did not speak.

He did not speak either, but, with the speed Anzu had already had the suspicion of, moved behind her, and, to her surprise, untied her hands.

"Please…" He said, indicating the tea set laid out before them, that had previously been hidden behind him. "Pour us both a drink, Anzu."

"I will not." Anzu replied, coolly, refusing to turn even when he stood uncomfortably close to her back. His hand slammed down on her shoulder, and she gasped in spite of herself. She could tell from the tingling sensation that he was only just away from the pressure point she herself had been taught to reach for should she ever need to defend herself. He could knock her out again easily. He could just as easily kill her.

"I asked you to pour a drink."

Shaking with rage and wishing she could stop, knowing it would be misinterpreted as fear, Anzu poured, not spilling a drop of the tea. She should not have to pour tea for a man like this in a room like this damp, dark, mouldy little one, without even any tatami mats put down. But she had to find out who he was, and what he wanted. As soon as she had successfully poured two cups, he moved from behind her, and settled himself down opposite her again.

"You see?" He said, as one would to a petulant child. "Things are so much more pleasant when you do as I say. I warn you now, Anzu, disobedience is not tolerated in my houses."

"You have no right to address me as you do." Anzu answered, primly. Normally, she hated the ritual, tradition, and formality that surrounded her place in the kingdom, but here, at least it was some sort of assurance of safety. "I will forgive that, but explain immediately what your purpose is."

"You are in no position to be making demands." He answered, leaning in close to her face, but she refused to flinch backwards. "My name is Prysen, and you work for me."

"I work for no-one apart from the people of Nrefder." Anzu hissed back, sorely tempted to spit and blind the other eye to. Before she knew what was happening, he had produced a dagger from one of his sleeves and was pressing it against her stomach.

"Didn't I say that things would be a lot more pleasant if you did as I said?" He sighed theatrically. "Please, don't make me add your blood to my hands."

"You wouldn't dare." Anzu answered, sweetly. "You need me."

"How can you say that when you don't know what I want?" He asked conversationally, drawing the dagger lightly across her stomach, just deep enough to draw blood. She exhaled slightly in pain, and he pushed her away in disgust.

"Jin!" He called. "Come and clean her up! And find her a uniform, I want her in the house!" Anzu heard him leave the room through a door that slid, and heard a shuffling as someone approached from the shadows in the corner of the room. For the moment, however, she lay looking at the ceiling in surprise. She'd never seen her own blood before. What was more was what she had just realised.

This man was not afraid to kill her.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Jonouchi shifted his weight to his left foot in order to balance the swing he took with his right arm, clasping the sword. From the side lines, Danielle and Yugi were looking on, along with the five or six members of Nrefder's Royal Guard that travelled with them. The challenge had been issued in friendliness, but in truth, it was a contest that was mutually beneficial- each could assess the strength of the other. Jonouchi did not want to lose. Well had already mentioned that he did not look like their knights, and now, he had to agree. While he dressed really like any other civilian in Noxell unless he was going into battle in heavy armour, even on a simple mission like this, Nrefder's knights wore tunics over their grey clothes, bearing their nation's crest; a uniform that was not unique to any of them. This may have been because they were members of the Royal Guard and on duty, but from what he could gather, they were all knights anyway. As you would expect, they were very well trained, and this one was giving Jonouchi a good go.

Jonouchi's sword, broad and silver, sat proudly atop a golden handle, a white sheen stretching down the middle of the blade; and it was swinging for his opponent. The other man's sword was thin but razor-sharp, and had already nicked a chunk of Jonouchi's arm. This is why practise should not be carried out with real swords. However, the early injury had only motivated Jonouchi to put up the best fight of his life. The needle-edge blade came up and easily met his, but he was stronger and had not yet tired as much, so rather then dismounting from the parry, Jonouchi continued to force his sword down. Eventually, the other gave way, and Jonouchi was able to bring his blade down, move it sideways, hitting the man's kneecaps with the flat. He collapsed from the blow and found himself staring up at the point of Jonouchi's blade.

"Surrender?" Jonouchi asked, cockily. The man sighed, and nodded.

"Yes."

Jonouchi sheathed his sword, and then gave the man a hand, pulling him to his feet. This caused his opponent to laugh.

"For someone who fights dirty, you're very polite." He chuckled. "First you strike a low blow at my knees, and then you help me to my feet. I never did understand Noxell…"

"A sword is a weapon designed to win a fight." Jonouchi shrugged. "Use it however you can."

"Jou!" Yugi shouted from the sidelines somewhere. "Nicely done!"

"He still managed to get himself sliced to pieces in the process…" Danielle grumbled, searching through the seemingly endless pockets sewn into the lining. "Here." She said, walking over to Jonouchi holding a small leather pouch. The citizens of Nrefder blinked at it, but Jou and Yugi were well aware of what Danielle kept in that pouch and others like it. She opened the drawstring around the top, pouring out a small pinch of some powder, ground up from various herbs and goodness knows what else. She tugged on Jou's arm, indicating he should hold it where she could reach it, and then sprinkled the powder over it. Where it landed, on a word muttered under her breath, the skin began to heal. The Royal Guard seemed a little taken aback.

"Well, we weren't expecting you to be able to do something like that… well, so easily." Well confessed to her later, as the fire was being lit for that night's camp. "We thought, well, that herbs and plants were just for, well, cooking."

Danielle raised an eyebrow. "A waste, in my opinion. They hardly make a difference to food. But if you know the right mix, and the right words, and have enough power… You can do anything you like."

"Anything?" One of the more boisterous knights echoed. "Hey, I wouldn't like to fight _her_!" The others laughed.

"…I get the impression that you're mocking me." Danielle frowned.

"Of course not." The knight answered, not sounding at all as though he meant it.

"Danielle…" Yugi murmured, seeing what was coming and attempting to pacify the situation. For once, she ignored him.

"Then fight me." She stated, simply; heading over to where her staff was concealed within the saddle bags on her horse. It nuzzled and pushed her, attempting to get in her way as much as humanely possible. Eventually, she pulled the long wooden staff out from where it had been laid horizontally. It stood about shoulder-height on deep, dark wood with a lighter head piece, which began with the small blue water droplet that symbolised a mage and then moved in to two fine curves, sloping down the top of the staff like a ram's horns. Below them, two further pieces of wood curled around them on either side. Finally, at the top of the staff, nestled between the horns, was a fine red gem; a stone called Niojichite that was traditionally said to focus and hone magical powers. Every staff for every mage shared the trait of this stone and the tear drop, but the design was always different. Danielle, like every other mage, had carved the head piece herself, and, like every other mage, she thought it was by far the best design in the world. But now, she was about to pit it against a sword that could probably cut straight through it. However, she wasn't in the least worried. It had never let her down before.

The knight was hastily revising his opinion, and, after assuring her that there was no need 'for fights among friends', backed away.

Danielle smirked as she struggled against the horse in order to put the staff back. As it happened, she only knew one attack spell anyway, and she could manage well enough without the staff- although there was no need for them to know that. She had no intention to fight them, just reinforce what Jonouchi had established earlier- they were not to be messed with. She turned to see Yugi shaking his head at her in wry disapproval and Jou grinning. They were well used to her tricks by now- she had half the maids at the palace scared to death that she would turn them into toads. She went to rejoin them.

"This is why we can't take you anywhere…" Yugi muttered, then he became more serious. "One of these days, someone won't be too scared to fight you, you know. And we might not be around to bail you out."

"…I'll be ready by then." Danielle replied, eventually. No more was said between them until the morning.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Nrefder palace was situated on a hill, looking down on the capital city. In order to reach it's colossal towers and spires, pointing an accusing finger to the Heavens, they would have to travel through that city, and that was what was making Well decidedly nervous.

It wasn't so much his or his men's safety he was concerned for. They were all Knights of Nrefder, and, what's more, in order to make the Royal Guard, they were the best. They were the knights who had proved their loyalty, courage, wisdom and strength; there was not a man among them that Well would not want by his side in battle. The people loved and revered them, seeing them almost as living legends. There wasn't a boy in Nrefder who didn't want to be in the Royal Guard when he grew up. There was no higher honour, no greater position, and they were untouchable. Their guests, however…

The Prince of Noxell may have come in peace with the intention for an alliance, but some people still distrusted this. Their parents, grandparents, even a few still living, had fallen foul of the atrocities of that war. Others were aware of the horrific things still happening beneath the surface of peace, hidden away by the changing tide of time. Some would not take lightly to their approach. Well glanced over at the three. Jonouchi had proved himself more then adept with a sword, so he was not concerned about the knight who was laughing with a member of the guard. The mage was having a deep conversation with her prince. She spoke to him as a friend, something most would never dream of doing to Royalty. Well had to wonder what relationship they really had, how far her magic really stretched, and, above all, why she had come.

Mages were the puppeteers, manipulating things into their favour from behind the scenes. They never came on stage. So what part did this one have to play in the performance…?

The townspeople watched in open suspicion as they passed, but made no act upon it. As far as they were concerned, the Noxells could do nothing as long as the Guard, their pride and joy, were there. They may as well have been prisoners. And there was also the hope that finally, at last, a lasting agreement could be made. No-one interfered with the group as they passed, climbing up the slope towards the grand building.

The very design of the palace was different to that of the one in Noxell. It was not several buildings, but one rather large one. The grey slate and stone, in blocks the size of a man's head, were piled so high and so wide they seemed to fill the horizon as far as the eye dared to look. Danielle looked up at it in awe. It looked like things were going to be very different here… In fact, even as the welcoming party moved over towards them, her eyes spotting a mage among them, the place seemed to be disorganised and chaotic, men running and shouting to each other, seemingly oblivious to their important guest. The Prince Regent- at least, she assumed it was him, as he was the most finely clothed and lead the small party- came, looking apologetic, as they dismounted, and the Guard moved off to stable the horses and report to their supervisor. Then he did the most curious thing- instead of bowing to Yugi when they greeted, he took his hand and lifted it up and down, just as men would sometimes do after sealing a business deal.

"That's how you greet people here." Jou whispered to her, sensing her confusion. "You shake hands. Didn't you wonder why Well didn't bow to us before? They only bow to their ruler here."

Danielle nodded to show she understood, and tried not to feel to out of place in this foreign world. She watched the way people ran around and moved and spoke in the bustle that continued around them regardless of them being there. She thought this was terribly rude, but perhaps here, it wasn't. Who was to know…?

"Missing!" Yugi's yelp brought her back to paying attention with all swiftness. "What happened?"

"I think we best go inside, sir…" The Mage muttered to the Regent. Then he turned to Yugi, giving him a small bow in complete contradiction to what Danielle had just thought she'd understood- "It is mostly my fault, sir. Please, let me explain inside exactly what has happened to the Princess."

Yugi nodded, swallowing slightly as they turned and went into the colossal building. He may not want to marry Anzu, but she was as much an old friend as Danielle and Jou. He didn't want to lose that. Worse, if Anzu was missing, he was sure Noxell would somehow eventually get the blame. They had to save her. Whatever it took, and even if someone stood in their way, they had to get her back. The very future of the countries depended on it, on _them. _Yugi fingered the golden pyramid around his neck, the heirloom of Noxell's royal family, the proof he was who he said he was, the pyramid featuring the eye that saw all, that made him immediately recognisable, and gave him safe passage. He wondered how safe it would keep them now.

People were older than their years in the country these days.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Seto sometimes wondered how he ended up in these situations.

Rescuing the Princess had begun as a relatively routine quest. He had thought he could get away with doing things his own way, and he was used to working solo. He had thought he could attend to some personal business as he went. But no. Now, rather then working solo, it seemed there was an entire fellowship waiting to accompany him. First there had been that Mage, Ryou. He was seemingly blaming himself for the entire situation. Personally, Seto couldn't care less who the blame lay with; he just wanted to get this sorted so he could get back to his life. And now, there were all these foreigners coming to. The Prince Anzu was supposed to be getting engaged to, adamant that he was going to come and help save his 'friend'; and the Knight that was determined to help his Prince. Then there was that other Mage, who's motives were unclear. He hoped 'I saw myself coming in the ripples' wasn't her _entire _purpose.

He didn't know why he had ended up with these people.

As for Seto, he wasn't entirely sure what he did. Certainly, when he'd been made a Knight, it had been a mere token to ensure his loyalty. He had got no reward from it, financial or in land. But it was a title to came with a reputation, and one he wanted. If he could become mysterious and legendary enough, people would leave him alone. And that was all he wanted. Peace and quiet.

Well, it wasn't _all _he wanted. But all else he wanted, he could not have.

The next morning, the five of them silently mounted their refreshed horses and rode away, before the city could stir and realise something was wrong at the Palace.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

"Now should I send this?" Cloward asked, waving a small piece of parchment as the five rescuer's backs retreated. Karne nodded.

"Yup!" She replied. "Now, c'mon. Let's mosey."

"…I don't want to leave." Cloward admitted, patting one of the remaining horses fondly.

"We don't have a choice." Karne replied, eventually. She had no more desire to go than Cloward did. None the less, that day, the two stable hands up and left, leaving not a trace of ever being there among the strewn hay and dirt.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

A/N: End of part one… Next, the heroes head into the Scar! What horrors are contained there? Find out in Part Two- Forest…


	2. Forest I

A/N: This is the first half of forest. This part was 40 pages in size 11 font on paper, so I decided to split in half. The disclaimer still stands from the beginning, so I won't bother saying it again! Please enjoy!

_And so, the heroes set out on their heroic quest._

_No-one knew of the dangers._

_However, they could not do it alone…_

Part Two- Forest I

"Here's a question for you." Yugi said, suddenly. They'd been riding for almost four hours that day now, over the fields and grass of Nrefder's country side. "How are we even supposed to find the Princess? We have no idea where she is…"

"I can check in the Ripples next time we reach a body of water." Ryou answered, quietly. He seemed quite shy. "I'll do my best."

"I'll help." Danielle said, equally shortly. Ryou glanced at her, and looked away. She did the same. Yugi and Jonouchi exchanged looks. Things were awkward between the two mages, and with good cause. For one thing, they were from different countries; and therefore from rival Academies. For another, it was unheard of for any purpose, even in huge great wars and battles, to have more than one Mage at a time. It was unnecessary. So, here, they were effectively treading on each other's toes. "I'm sure we'll be able to find out where she is soon, and then we can be on our way, Yu- Your Highness."

Seto, riding some way ahead of the others, couldn't help but catch a whisper of their conversation; as much as he tried to tune it out. He raised an eyebrow slightly, but didn't slow his pace. He intended to ignore the companions he'd been lumbered with as much as humanly possible.

"Wait a minute." Jonouchi was saying, irritated. "Why didn't you do that to begin with! We've been riding _four hours _today alone! You mean to tell me we have no idea where we're going!"

"I didn't have much chance." Danielle said defensively, in response to Jou's first question. "We left so fast… We can only hope _he_-" She jerked a finger at Seto's back. "Isn't just riding around hoping that we happen to bump into the Princess somewhere."

"It wouldn't surprise me." Ryou admitted. "They call him the Knight of the Silent Wind. You may have noticed he's not a normal knight. He has no land, no armour, no crest… He comes and goes as he pleases, seemingly with no plan or method. But, somehow, he always appears exactly where he needs to be. At least, that's the rumour."

"Silent Wind…?" Jou repeated, snorted. "Well, that's certainly a dumb name."

"…I think it kinda suits him." Yugi admitted. "After all, we have no idea where he's taking us or why…"

"And he's certainly silent…" Danielle muttered, nodding in agreement; referring to how Seto hadn't said a word since they'd started.

"If you're all quite finished talking about me…" Seto ground out, eventually, pausing his pace slightly until they drew level with him. "You can see where we're going."

He pointed ahead, to a wall of trees that had been looming ahead for sometime.

"We're not going around it?" Ryou demanded.

Seto looked at him scornfully. "And just why would we want to do a thing like that?"

"That's The Scar!" Jonouchi pointed out, slightly shrilly. "It's dangerous in there! There's… ghosts, or something…"

Seto smirked. "…Ghosts, hmm…?" He repeated to himself quietly, finding it amusing. "We'll see."

"Jou has a point." Danielle said, stubbornly, placing her horse as best she could in front of him- the horse still didn't want to cooperate- and stopped him from heading off again. "Whatever's lurking in that forest, we have no reason to meet it. Now, take us to the nearest body of water, and let us find where the Princess is!"

Seto raised an eyebrow. "That won't be necessary." He took his horse easily around her. "The Princess is right through there." He pointed back at The Scar. "In Noxell."

Yugi gasped, in spite of himself. "In Noxell…! But… How do you…?"

"Noxell. That's what I said." Seto answered, coolly, and began walking off again. "And I know… because the trees did."

Every question they asked was met with a silent smirk as he savoured their confusion over this statement. They certainly weren't eager to head into The Scar.

Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be much of a choice anymore.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Pine needles squashing down underfoot, the sap releasing their characteristic sweet scent. She closed her eyes, drinking in it. She hadn't smelt it in so long… and yet, it was as familiar as if she smelt it every day. The wind whispered to the stems of grass as the newcomers drew ever closer, a sound as familiar to her as her own voice. Every movement, every alert to any one of her senses, took her back, a long way back, looking to the one place the ripples could not show her; the hazy horizon of her past… She had come from a village, standing on the edge of a wood… with her parents… her best friend…

Her name had been different back then. She couldn't remember it, but she had left home. She had begun as… she couldn't recall the name. It had changed when she'd been accepted at Noxell's academy, to make her sound more mysterious, further from the normal people. She couldn't remember the name of her village. All she had of her past was faces. Faces, and the feeling that the scenes around her were so familiar… A village, on the outskirts of a wood, just as they were now. The bracken that was being mercilessly crushed beneath her feet was thickening, beginning to crack instead of squash, and there were more trees then there had been out on the open, flat plains they'd travelled so far that day. This was just like where home used to be. More than just like. Before them stood ruins of buildings, shapeless grey silhouettes. Nothing moved. Neither did Danielle, stopping dead.

"What's wrong?" Yugi checked, turning round. The others had all stopped, even Seto. It wasn't unusual for Mages to be able to sense something dangerous before it occurred. "Is there something there?"

"I can't see anyone…" Jonouchi frowned, looking back and forth between the ruined village and Danielle.

"I can't sense anything, either." Ryou put in, frowning worriedly at his fellow Mage, who shook her head.

"Nothing's wrong. It's just… I think this was my home town." She finished, softly, still staring at the grey lumps. The more she looked, the more the memories seeped through the cracks of time. The one furthest to the left had been the stables, for all the village's horses, and next to that; the remains of the woodsman's house. The inn stood in shambles, one section of the roof stiff standing, but black and crumbling. Yet the sun still shone on it, just as it had done so long ago…

"Are you sure?" Yugi demanded, startled. "You're from Nrefder?"

"It looks that way…" She replied, surprised herself. She looked at his face, trying to see what he made of this. She hoped he wouldn't care…

"That doesn't make sense." Ryou muttered, confused. "If you're from here, you should have gone to the Academy _here_, not in Noxell!"

"I know." Danielle answered. Her life would have been so different. She would have known different people, worked in a different place… she would never have known Yugi. She wouldn't have come on this quest. Ryou was right- if she had been born here, she should have grown up here, should die here. It didn't make sense. But, she knew it. She saw not the ruins, but the shadows of the buildings they used to be. She had few memories from the time, but she knew it as well as she knew the Magic Academy of Noxell. This was where she'd come from. "I know! But… This _is _where I was born!"

Seto snorted. "It wouldn't surprise me. Child snatching is not an uncommon thing. Noxell has precious little talent, so they are more than willing to steal ours." He began riding towards the building, Danielle immediately following as Yugi decided to dispute Seto's statement. Trying to referee the argument, no-one noticed the black shadow within the grey, which stood and waited for them; just as she had been waiting for the last twelve years. She stood uncomfortably in the full light of the afternoon sun, not used to being so far from the darkness. Then, they were close enough. They saw her, and she had to speak.

"Seto!" She smiled. "You could have told us you were leaving, although, really, we should have guessed…" All eyes turned to Seto in amazement, but he merely grunted and jumped down from the horse. Dubiously, the others all did the same as she spoke quietly to Seto. Yugi only caught a few words.

"…travellers keeps increasing… war could… getting restless…"

Seto nodded to show he understood, and then flicked his head in Danielle's direction. "Look what I found."

"Who is she?" Yugi whispered to Danielle, who made no reply, but kept looking at the girl before them; who stared levelly back.

"Hi." She said, eventually. "…Welcome home."

"I…I know you…" Danielle whispered, stepping forward slightly to meet her.

"I should think you do." She replied, turning and beginning to walk into the village. Danielle immediately followed, and the others after her. "We grew up together, Danniru!"

"What…?"

She stopped, and turned around, looking at her quizzically. "You really _don't_ remember, do you? You're useless."

"I…"

"You always were. And you always told tales on me to. Like when I lost that axe."

"Oh, man…" Danielle, or Danniru, breathed. "It _is _you! I remember! We were best friends!" As she spoke, more and more memories rushed back, and she knew this girl, knew everything about her, knew every game they played; and, finally, the name came back. "Jozan!"

"Yup." She resumed her walking. "Fancy forgetting me."

"I didn't." Danielle promised. "I… I didn't have another friend like you after I left."

"Friend?" Jozan echoed, turning around once again. "It's been twelve years since then. We were kids then. Twelve years… We've grown up in that time! That's a long time for people to change in!" She smiled, but it faded. "What I mean is…It's been a long time, Danniru. Too long to remember…" She concluded, finally. "Now, please… don't move."

And, all around them, armed people sprang from the bushes that were running rampant through the rubble. The prisoners raised their arms slowly above their heads.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

The water squelched out of the tattered rag in the most disgusting fashion. The stagnant water reeked, running over her chapped hands and wrists, once so delicate and so clean, but she didn't see it. While her arms silently maintained the impossible battle on the grimy floorboards, Anzu's mind was far away. Since she had been brought here, besides the meeting with Prysen and a short conversation with Jin, presumably a fellow prisoner, she had lived in a silent world. Speaking was forbidden. She didn't know how many people here were servants, or prisoners, or slaves, but, in her time here, she had established a few things. She was in some sort of complex. There was a small house, where she and a few other women were set to work. She was sure they were all political prisoners just like she was, important enough for Prysen to want to keep an eye on. She wasn't sure, as speaking was forbidden. She had not yet been allowed out of the house, and, had she been, she would have been ashamed of the thin, filthy cotton that formed her only clothes. She often wondered if her face mirrored those around her; with hair that was dirty, stringy and matted; with eyes devoid of hope, so that even the bluest had turned china blue, as though they weren't seeing at all. She knew that across the other side was a factory; what they made, she didn't know. All she saw was a procession of men, women and children being forced from a barn, where they presumably tried to sleep, into a factory; where, for twelve hours, sounds of tools would come; before they were dragged back to the barn, silent from fear and exhaustion. The blackened faces of the factory that never slept were even worse than those inside the house. Anzu never met their eyes. For one thing, it could be disastrous is she was caught dithering by a window. For another, she couldn't stand it.

She had to do something. She couldn't let this continue. Judging by Prysen's accent, she was in Noxell. That meant these poor people were from Noxell- it wasn't her responsibility, but it didn't matter. She would make it her responsibility. She would do something; and 'something' didn't mean mopping floors that would never be clean. Her chance came some hours later, as it neared sunset. That was when Prysen called for her.

He never called any of the girls by their name. That would give away who they were. Instead, they all had whistle blasts to answer to, as though they were dogs. Anzu hated the sound of the two long, shrill blasts and one short that meant he wanted her. She hated even more the fact that she answered. But she did, leaving the wet rag idle where it was, and hurrying up towards the door at the east end of the corridor that the sound had come from. Prysen had proved already he wasn't afraid to kill her. She would let him, if it wasn't for the threat he had made. If she caused trouble, he said he would kill her and everyone else in this establishment. It was easy enough for him to get new slaves. She believed him.

This man was not afraid to kill her.

When she entered the room, another woman, about in her mid twenties, hurried out. With a jolt, Anzu realised she knew this woman. It was a distant cousin of hers, that her father had been particularly fond of. Anzu had only met her once or twice, but from what she could gather, the family owned a large portion of land down on the coast, rich in coal. She wondered what Prysen wanted with it.

"Look at me, not her." He commanded. Anzu begrudgingly turned to look at him, not waiting for permission to sit down. The mats were so old and so badly frayed that the straw was beginning to come loose and scratch against her bear knees. She didn't show the discomfort. After just a few days, she was used to discomfort.

Anzu knew that she had to show that she wasn't afraid of him. Now, death wasn't very high on the list of things she wanted to do, in fact, it was very high up on her moral code to avoid. However, she wanted to help these people, and she would. It was time for courage, for her body language and speech to change from that of a normal almost-eighteen year old to a Princess. She didn't wait for him to speak first, wanting to assert as much control on the situation as possible.

"You keep people here against their will." She stated, calmly. "You force them into slavery. I want to know…"

"Why I do it?" Prysen smirked.

"No." Anzu answered, firmly. "What you would have me do to free them."

Prysen's smirk fell for a minute. He hadn't been expecting this. He'd thought that, by now, her spirit would have been broken like all the others. But it wasn't a problem. In fact, it made things all the more interesting.

"I have no intention of freeing them, no matter what you do." He shrugged lazily. "Some are just nobodies. There's nowhere for them to go, no-one to notice their gone- no-one but other nobodies, that is. Here they serve a greater purpose."

"And what 'purpose' is that?" Anzu demanded.

"_My_ purpose." He grinned, before moving on as though the interruption had never come. "Others are being kept here for some kind of… reward, just like yourself."

"Money?"

"No." Prysen's smile grew wider. "War."

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Danielle stared around dubiously at all the weapons that glared back. Nearby were swords and short daggers, and on the few remaining rooves, bowstrings were pulled taut, supporting arrows that did not waver. With her hands above her head, it would be rather hard to make a shield spell; part of the requirement was that you draw it out with your arms. She could just say the command and hope… She brought the words up into her mouth, the spell building, but she held it there, ready to spit it out if need be. If Ryou was doing the same thing, between them they would have a decent chance that it would cover them…

Looking at the people behind the offensive items, she saw their faces. Most were young; few were older than her, anyway. But they didn't seem to be in any doubt whatsoever about what they were doing. To her surprise, she realised she recognised a few. But it was a drop in the ocean. There were few, precious few people from the rapidly returning memories of a childhood she'd tried to block out.

"What is this?" Seto snarled, the only one without his hands up. "What _are _you playing at! You seem to forget- they're with me!"

"You seem to forget you're not in charge." Jozan replied, surveying the group instead of looking at Seto. "We don't know what you've been doing. We don't know what you're trying to bring in. There is only one thing in that forest you want to protect, Seto, and we all know perfectly well it isn't us."

Seto fell silent.

"We're not here for a fight." Yugi put in, seeing that someone else was going to have to do something. We just want to come through the forest."

"And why would you want to do a thing like that?" Jozan demanded, although she was smiling. "Don't you know about the… ghosts?"  
Her companions laughed.

"We don't care!" Yugi exclaimed, fiercely. "We need to save the Princess Anzu!"

"Do you, now…?"

Seto rolled his eyes. "I can't take any more melodrama…" He complained to himself.

"…You'd better come in." Jozan said, eventually, ignoring Seto's drab comment. "Hand over your weapons please, gentleman. It's alright!" She assured Jonouchi, who hand had suddenly been transferred to an iron-like grip on his sword. "You'll get it back when you leave the forest."

"What have _you _got to do with the forest?" Jonouchi growled, making no move to disarm. Again, the people laughed- but the weapons didn't so much as wobble.

"We are the Ghosts of the Scar." Jozan told him happily. "And the few survivors of Li'anon. And I am telling you to hand over your weapons. You to, Danniru!"

"Didn't I say I didn't want any more melodramatics…?" Seto grumbled as Yugi handed his sword over, Joey begrudgingly following suite.

"This is a nice sword." Jozan said admiringly of Yugi's. The hilt was of a sturdy emerald green, carved into two neat slopes, almost like flower petals, on either side. From the hilt protruded a silver blade, an emerald line running it's length. "But I wonder if it has ever seen a battle…?"

"No." Yugi admitted, quietly.

"Don't worry." Jozan told him, handing the two swords over to people waiting to receive them. "If you're going to save the Princess, it will."

"What do you know?" Yugi demanded, sounding vaguely threatening.

"…Enough." She said, eventually. Then she pointed at Seto. "And I swear, if you moan about melodrama _once _more…" She turned the point into a gesture, indicating for those surrounding them to disarm. As they did so, Danielle swallowed the shield spell in relief. It meant she would be able to talk again. Which was good, because she had plenty of questions to ask.

Gesturing at them to follow, Jozan lead them off, plunging deeper into the forest. The ruined buildings changed into thicker and thicker foliage until it almost seemed to blot out the sun, yet she didn't falter. Danielle couldn't help but wonder just what _had _happened to them in the last twelve years. Luckily, Jozan seemed more than willing to answer their questions, almost without being prompted.

"Just who, exactly, are you?" Jonouchi demanded.

"I told you. We are the inhabitants of the Scar. And some of us came from Li'anon, before all... _this_ happened." She flicked her head back in the direction they'd come.

"What happened to it…?" Danielle asked, quietly. "Tell us."

"Don't encourage her!" Seto put in, but Jozan ignored him and his following comments on theatrics.

"You happened." She answered, simply. "Maybe you can't recall… Li'anon sat on the edge of the woods, it always has. We made a living off it. Off the wood, the fruit and the berries, the fertile land… And being guides through it, from Nrefder to Noxell and the other way. The years of peace, when we were growing up, were our most successful. But there was always the constant threat. If war erupted again, we were on the frontline. We'd almost certainly be consumed- our food going to the troops, our homes seized for soldiers, our belongings pawned for money, our men forced to fight… And then you turned five. You were able to see in the Ripples- and you saw wings! Everyone was so excited… it was a sign of good luck! We were sure that if the authorities saw that we had someone with such talent in our little village, they'd leave us alone. Only, of course, it didn't turn out that way."

"The Academy…" Danielle muttered. Her old friend nodded.

"What we hadn't known was that all children with the 'gift' got taken away for training. And, as it turned out, the government was just as worried about war as we were. They claimed every single child with a glimpse of power for themselves. Except you. Men came; they burned our homes to the ground, they killed dozens, and then they took you and disappeared into the Scar."

"That's awful!" Yugi enthused, looking at Danielle to see how she was taking this. Her face, however, was an expressionless mask.

"It was just a competition, they were trying to ensure Nrefder did not have more magic on their side than Noxell did. You just happened to be the easiest child to grab." She paused, to let her digest this a little. "The handful of us that survived ended up living in an abandoned army barrack here, in the Scar. So you see…" She turned to look at them. "It would be a disaster for us if war broke out again. Our homes, our livelihoods, would be destroyed, again."

"Then there are more people depending on me getting engaged to Anzu, huh…?" Yugi whispered, miserably. Jozan looked at him curiously, but didn't comment on his tone of voice.

"The Princess is in Noxell. As soon as the word gets out, Nrefder's citizens will demand that Noxell is attacked; to get her back, for revenge." Seto said suddenly, monotonously. "Noxell will count this as an unprovoked attack. Someone is trying to stir up a war."

"Who would do something like that!" Jonouchi demanded, appalled.

"Someone who would profit from it." Ryou answered, breaking his usual silence. "And there are a great many who could do that."

"Right." Jozan nodded. "So, you're aware that you're not just out to rescue a friend. You're out to prevent the events of the past repeating themselves."

"There's just one thing I don't understand." Ryou stared at the back of her head, but she didn't turn around. "You."

"Me?" Jozan answered, innocently.

"You were waiting for us." Jonouchi continued, cottoning on. "How did you know we were coming?"

She shrugged. "I had a hunch… And a little help."

"A 'hunch'…" Danielle repeated. Then she gasped. "Jo, do you-!"

"Read ripples? Sorta…" Jozan laughed, enjoying being mysterious.

"But then, why didn't you-!"

"Tell anyone?" Jozan completed. "Because what I heard was this very conversation. I knew because of this that the village would burn, that you would be taken away; and that you had to be, because otherwise you wouldn't come back and I wouldn't be saying this."

"Melodramatic _and _a paradox." Seto muttered. "You're really out-doing yourself today, Jozan…"

"But…" Danielle said, slowly. "You could have told them what was going to happen! You could have stopped it!"

Ryou coughed. "I think it's as she said. If she had, she wouldn't have seen that speech in the ripples. She knew not to tell anyone about her powers. If she had, the same thing would have happened to her that did to you." He paused, and turned towards Jozan. "Power is something we're born with, not something we choose." He looked down at the floor. "The thing is, as much as we pretend, we don't understand. We don't know the consequences. But you knew that." He looked up at her, smiling slightly. "You see it to."

"No." She smiled back. "I hear it." Suddenly, she ducked between two trees, and they were all amazed to find that here the trees were a little thinner, and within them was a whole community.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

_Her tongue was out in concentration, a splash of red on a rounded face. It slurped back in, replaced by teeth as Jozan chewed her lip, trying to pick the perfect stone from the rocky ground around the edge of the lake. She felt very grown up- before she was five, she had _never _been allowed to play by the edge of the lake. At last, she found the perfect stone. It had white markings whirled inside the grey that looked like a smiley face. She'd quite like to have kept it, but her mom had told her this was _very _important. She picked the smiling rock up and ran down to the water's edge, and, sticking her tongue out in concentration, lobbed it as far as she could._

_The ripples spread toward her, and, not taking her tongue back in, she stared hard at them, looking for a picture. If she saw something, her mom said, she had to promise to tell them straight away. It was _very _important._

_As hard as she looked, all she could see was the water complaining about having a rock thrown at it. It seemed to be talking to, because she could hear faint whispers. She had always believed in the fairies that were supposed to live in lakes, and she looked at the remaining ripples suspiciously, wondering if it was them talking to her…_

"But then, why didn't you-!"

"Tell anyone? Because what I heard was this very conversation. I knew because of this that the village would burn, that you would be taken away; and that you had to be, Danniru, because otherwise you wouldn't come back and I wouldn't be saying this."

"Melodramatic _and _a paradox. You're really out-doing yourself today, Jozan…"

"But…You could have told them what was going to happen! You could have stopped it!"

"I think it's as she said. If she had, she wouldn't have seen that speech in the ripples. She knew not to tell anyone about her powers. If she had, the same thing would have happened to her that did to you…"

_They fell silent, and wondering what it all meant, she waded back to the shore, holding up the hem of her clothes so it wouldn't get wet._

_"Well?" The mayor demanded, just as he did of everyone. "What did you see?"_

_"Nothing." Jozan answered, truthfully. "I just-"_

_'_She knew not to tell anyone about her powers', _that's what the man in the lake had said._

_"I just saw the water complaining." She said, unable to stop herself from smiling. It was kind of fun to have a secret…_

_The villagers began to dissipate, seeming disappointed. But Danniru, a few months younger, pulled away from her parents and ran over._

_"It's okay." She said. "My mom says hardly anyone sees anything in ripples."_

_"Yeah." Jozan agreed. She looked at her friend, suddenly worried. The lake had told her Danniru was going to be taken away… she hoped it was wrong. Danniru was quite good fun, really. "Let's play a game!"_

_"Like what?" Danniru asked._

_Jozan thought hard. "A princess, captured by a dragon!"_

_"Can I be the princess! Please?" Danniru begged._

_"Okay." Jozan said, graciously. "And I'll be the knight, coming to kill the dragon and save you! And this is my sword!" She declared, grabbing a stick off the floor, and demonstrating exactly how she would kill the dragon._

_"Who's going to be the dragon?"_

_"Amnis can." Jozan decided. "She's my sister, but she's alright…" She bellowed for the toddler, who came over to them. "Wanna be a dragon?"_

_"Rawwrr!" Amnis said, obligingly. Immediately, the other two got into role, and the game continued for many hours, getting more and more boisterous, until, eventually, Jozan's mom came to find her two daughters._

_"Jozan!" She said, sharply. "_Stop _poking your sister with that stick!"_

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Danielle stared up through the darkness at the texture of the roof. Despite the fact she was lying on what was, effectively, the floor; she was perfectly comfortable. It was her mind that was unable to sleep, still trying to digest all this new information. The men had come to the village just to find her. Every time she closed her eyes, the memories reasserted themselves, the scent of burning wood lingering at her nostrils, flames dancing at the back of her eyes. The survivors, the handful there were, had been forced to flee into the Scar right there and then, not worried as other villages were with ghosts. They had been back since to bury bodies, to salvage what they could; but, for the most part, they'd been forced into hiding, lest they be found again. It was no wonder Jozan had hid her powers. She might have been okay- after all, it only takes the tiniest hint of magic to be able to hear as she did, and, as Jozan herself admitted, she had never again heard anything of the future, or of the past, or another world. She could do no spells or charms. All she could do, in fact, was develop unnaturally good hearing. She claimed that when she was near ripples, she could hear the heart beats of those around her. Danniru may have been sceptical about this- even when Jozan was a child, she'd had a penchant for tall tales- but then she had jokingly whispered that she had heard how her heartbeat happened to quicken around a certain member of the party…

Danielle quickly changed her train of thought. That afternoon, Jozan had shown them round the village- Seto having long since disappeared somewhere into the trees- and it was a fairly poor excuse for one. The few remaining adults lived on the ground, in camouflaged shelters that had formed a home for a battalion during the long years of war. They were old, cramped, and many were springing leaks; but they were home for these people. They had been cheerfully decorated, painted, with flowers growing around them, and signs christening them 'Forest Heart' or, her favourite, 'Dunfightin'. The more agile members of the small village were dotted about in little homes up in the trees- lower branches had been stretched and tied together to form a floor, higher branches painstakingly bent down tied onto them to form walls, and a domed roof. They were even smaller. Yet, just like the old barracks, for the survivors of Li'anon, and all those who had joined them since, they were home. Altogether, about twenty people were inhabiting the Scar. A pitifully small number. For such a small number, Nrefder's government were unwilling to help. In fact, they wanted to ignore the problem as much as possible- Li'anon was just a small, unimportant village on the very edge of the kingdom. They simply couldn't afford, when constantly worried that war would break out again, to spend money rebuilding it. The survivors could easily find other villages to fit into.

However, the villagers were not so willing. "Li'anon," Jozan had told them fiercely. "Was not just a place! It's a spirit, a unity! It had survived all the years of war on the front line, all the years of being ignored; and just because most of it's citizens had died didn't mean Li'anon was dead. It's still alive and kicking, right here, in the Scar- where it's been left alone… um, for the most part."

"Jozan…" Danielle whispered into the darkness. "Are you awake?"

"Call me Jo." She replied, after a moment's pause. "Everyone does."

"Jo, then." She amended. "…We've been separated for twelve years."

Silence, and then "Yes."

"And we haven't spoken in all that time…"

Jozan sighed. "Fine. But let's go outside. Amnis doesn't like to be woken up. She gets really grumpy…" She stood, and with the ease of practice, got easily to the heavy cloth that formed the only door, before scrambling onto the roof of the hut. Slightly daunted, Danielle mimicked the movement, but, to her relief, the network of branches made it reasonably easy. It was a good job to, as they were a good distance off the ground, the climb up the trunk manovered with precarious stairs made from cropped branches. To her surprise, Jozan wasn't content with the roof. For a moment, Danielle couldn't see her at all. Than, she spotted the girl scrambling up the thick branches of an empty tree next door. The hut inhabited by Jozan and her sister was the last one, furthest from the river that ran through the Scar. When too close to the river, the constant movement of the water would cause every single sound within several miles to be amplified, and it would keep her awake at night. Danielle slowly shuffled her way across the roof of the tree house, and wondered how, exactly, she was supposed to get to the next tree.

"Jo…?" She called, uncertainly.

"It's alright!" Jozan answered, already several metres up the trunk of the next tree. "Just jump!"

"Alright…" Danielle said, uncertainly. There was no way she could make it to the next trunk. Not a chance. But she had to do it, if she was going to prove that she still trusted this girl. She jumped.

As she'd predicted, she hadn't been able to reach the trunk. However, what she hadn't been able to see was a branch, several feet down. She fell heavily onto it, and desperately began shimming towards the trunk. She did _not _want to fall. Eventually, after some painstaking climbing, she met Jozan on a sturdy branch towards the top of the tree. She went and sat next to her, looking out on an endless sea of trees.

"What did you want to talk about?" Jozan asked, shortly.

"Um… everything, I guess." Danielle shrugged. "Like… After they took me… What happened to you?"

Jozan snorted. "My best friend was gone, my family was dead, I was five years old. What do you think I did?"

"Amnis is alive…" Danielle tried. Jozan nodded.

"Two years old and orphaned." She stated. "It was so hard… Ms Opy looked after us… Remember her?"  
"Vaguely…" Danielle answered, remembering the old widow who had been like a grandmother to all the children of the village. "But… she was so old…"

Another nod. "She died when I was nine. Since then, it's just been me and 'Nis."

"But… That's terrible!" Danielle said, appalled.

"Worse to be dead." Jozan shrugged. "Was that all you wanted to know?"

"I…" Danielle stammered, surprised at the abrupt end. "No, it's not!" She realised, suddenly. "How did you know we were coming? And how did you know the Princess had been kidnapped? It's supposed to be a secret!"

"When I was washing for lunch, an hour or so before you arrived, the water was disturbed and I heard you approaching." She said, matter-of-factly. "As for the Princess, I got a letter from a very reliable source. And they came through the Scar on the Eastern side."

"That's all the way on the other side of the forest!"

"_Nothing _comes through this forest without a friend of mine knowing about it."

"Who?"  
"You'll meet her in the morning. Anything else?" Jozan asked, impatiently.

"Yes…" Danielle said, slowly. "We're childhood friends. Why the weapons? Why don't you trust me?"

Jozan stood up before replying. "Danniru…" She said, in frustration. "Twelve years is too long! A friendship that goes twelve years without renewal is dead! Too much has changed, we've changed too much- I don't know you! I know someone who _used _to be you. I don't trust anyone I don't know. We are _not _friends."

She left Danniru alone to mull this over, returning to her home. Guilt had been plaguing her the entire time, and still was. But it was true. It had been too long. Too long… She wished, more than anything, that they could just pick up from where they left off. But she was no longer able to see the world through a child's eyes. This wasn't the world she'd lived in the first five years of her life. Danniru needed to realise that.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Jonouchi was sleeping, but not very well. He was dreaming; a dream of his past, and that was never a good sign. He woke up, sitting up and holding his head. With one arm, he reached down, and fumbled around his neck until he managed to take a reassuring grip on the key that always hung there.

_I will go back… _He promised himself. _I will go back for what's mine. I won't be afraid. _

The way his heart was pounding seemed to disagree. Then he noticed something that made it stop altogether. Slowly, he felt inside his boot for the dagger he kept concealed there for occasions such as this, when his sword was unavailable.

Yugi was gone, and Jonouchi was trained not to let that pass.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

"Seto! Seto! Come on… Wakey wakey!"

Seto sat up, finding himself in the small tree house he used while in the forest, about five minutes away from the rest. Close enough to be able to get to the village when he had to. Far enough to have some privacy.

Except, of course, when people came visiting in the middle of the night. He turned towards the door, to see her sitting there, smile still visible in the gloom.

"I look for you all afternoon," he said, wryly. "And you come to see me in the middle of the night."

"I know, I know!" She said, holding up her hands in protest. "I'm sorry. It's been a really busy day, what with-"

"You're bleeding." Seto interrupted, straightening up and nodding at the line of red across one of her palms.

"I know…" She sighed, moving further in. She rubbed her forehead worriedly, leaving a red streak across it. "Woodcutters. One glanced me…"

"Is everyone alright?" Seto demanded, suddenly completely alert now. She nodded.

"For now…" She whispered. "I don't think the ghosts are going to work much longer, Seto…"

"It's alright." He muttered back. "I'm going to rescue the Princess. She'll have to do me a favour- I'll stop this, I promise. It'll be alright."

She laughed without really finding anything funny. "With that determination, we can't fail…" She sighed again. "No, we just can'tfail in general… I'm scared, Seto."

"I know." He whispered. "I'll sort it out. You'll be fine. Just trust me."

"You know I do." She smiled. "I don't know why you do this for us, Seto."

"Hmmph. I do it for _you, _no-one else." He snorted. "Because there's no-one else worth doing it for."

"Seto…"

"Now, go away. Let me sleep."

"Charming."

"You need to sleep to." He ordered. "Tomorrow's going to be an… interesting day."

"Oh, that's right!" She clapped her hands happily, smearing the other hand with congealing blood. "I get to meet our guests tomorrow! I'm so excited!"

Seto snorted. "Don't be. They're all idiots."

"If you don't like them, I almost certainly will." She teased. "Don't forget, you guys are the hopes for Nrefder _and _Noxell right now. And for all of us in the Scar."

"Thanks. Now I'm depressed."

She laughed, gave a quick wave, and then left without further ado.

"Get that hand seen to!" Seto called after her, but she had already melted into the trees. He lay back down, settling his body and mind back down in preparation for sleep. Tomorrow really was going to be interesting. He wondered what they'd make of her. Sometimes, he wasn't even sure what to make of her himself.

But she was the only thing he ever smiled about.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

"Danielle? Or is it Danniru now?"

Danielle jumped slightly at the voice, looking frantically all around her for the source.

"Down here!"

She peered down through the branches, and just managed to spot Yugi, standing on the forest floor, craning his neck as he peered up at her. He grabbed hold of the trunk and began climbing, doing it easily. He'd had a lot of practise as a child.

"Danielle will do." She sighed, as he came and sat next to her, where Jozan had previously been sitting.

"How long have you been out here?" Yugi asked, concerned. It was cool out in the night air, the trees blocking out all but the tiniest bit of moon light. You certainly couldn't see the stars. She shrugged. "Okay… Then, _why _are you out here?"

"I'm just thinking. What about you?"

"The same."

They sat in silence for a few minutes.

"This is so screwed up!" Danielle blurted out, suddenly. "Why do people have to go through so much, and with nothing to gain from it!"

"That's just the way it turns out sometimes." Yugi answered. "It's a fairly screwed up place. That's why we're out trying to make it a little better."

"But…" She whispered. "We weren't even at war anymore… We weren't even at war, and they still trashed my home, and caused all… this."

"It shouldn't have happened." He agreed. "All we can do is make sure it doesn't happen again- we have to find Anzu."

"I just hope we can…"

"We can. Trust me."

"You know I do."

"Yo!" Jonouchi yelled from the bottom of the tree. "What are you two doing up there in the middle of the night! It's too dark for a view! And it's cold! And why sit up there anyway? Why not sit down here! It's so much easier-"

"Would you _shut up_!" Jozan's grumpy voice echoed from inside the hut in the neighbouring tree. "Some of us actually _are _trying to sleep…"

With that, the forest fell into silence, as though in a dreamless sleep.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

By the time Danielle awoke, finding herself in a room lit dimly green thanks to the pigments in the leaves, the small hamlet was already a flurry of activity, Jozan and Amnis nowhere to be seen. Hurriedly, hoping she wasn't the last one awake and cursing the late night, she straightened up and headed outside.

The door to the tree house was not so much a door as a hole in the wall, barred with no wood or stone, but merely a rough, quite stiff material. On their tour the previous day, she had seen it being made with twigs picked from the ground and carefully separated into thin fibres, painstakingly sewn into large sheets. It was not the only things these twigs were used to make. Jozan, and many of the others, were in possession of a bow, and the ammunition for it. Danielle was sure this wasn't the only weapon they could create from their surroundings. They'd been forced to survive the less friendly creatures in the Scar, and the less scrupulous people that they so often guided through it. Outside the door was a small platform, and it was here that Danielle stood, looking down on the bustle below from her worryingly precarious position. The twenty or so inhabitants were hard at work, doing something she could not perceive from here, exchanging greeting, banter and jokes as they did. Standing or sitting around the roots at the bottom of the tree, she spotted Yugi, along with Jonouchi and Ryou, and began the dizzying decent to the forest floor. She had yet to catch sight of Seto, Amnis, Jozan, or, indeed, the person Jozan had told her she would meet.

"Good morning!" Ryou greeted her cheerfully, as though he always slept in a tree. The others echoed the sentiment less enthusiastically but with no less warmth.

"Morning." She replied, looking around with curiosity at the people darting in and out of the trees, or converging in a large group around the old barracks. "…What's going on?" She asked.

"That's what we were trying to figure out." Jonouchi snorted. "And we can't."

"So we thought we'd wait to be told what to do." Yugi shrugged. "It was Seto who knew about this place, and he's nowhere to be found…"

"No great loss." Jonouchi muttered, making no effort to conceal his opinion of Seto. As far as he was concerned, a knight should be completely loyal to those he served, brave, fearless, strong, and courageous. Ryou had already told them Seto's motives were unreadable, and he snuck to and fro like a coward. Nor had he, as of yet, proved that he had the skills the rumours said he did. Jonouchi didn't trust him, and made sure everyone knew of his misgivings. He was not the only one to hold this low opinion, as Jozan made only too clear when she arrived.

"Good morning campers!" She declared, striding over from the mass of people in the centre of their patchwork village. She had been smiling, but it now she frowned. "I see Seto's not with you. He always disappears when there's work to be done! Lazy bum!" She snorted before throwing her hands to the sky- or the roof-like canopy of leaves- and crying in despair. "He never holds still! The man has no roots! He's like water- flows where he likes, never holds still, and impossible to catch!" She sighed noisily, lowering her arms which had been gesturing wildly, as the others blinked and Jonouchi resisted the impulse to nod in agreement at the outburst. "Now, then! Who wants to help find firewood?"

"Breakfast?" Jonouchi guessed, looking at the small pile of twigs already assembled by the gaggle of people around it. Jozan laughed.

"Lunch!" She informed him. "It's already after midday!"

"How can you tell?" Danielle asked, glancing up. She couldn't see a trace of the sky through the thick foliage, and the entire forest was lit by a green twilight, filtering through the leaves.

"This is as light as it gets." Jozan replied, seemingly having forgotten the words she had spoken so harshly the previous night. "Anyways, come on- no-one gets fed around here without working for it, and if we don't hurry, they won't give us any!"

"Hate to point this out…" Jonouchi said, lazily. "But Yugi's a prince. And I'm his knight."

"So? Your arms still work, don't they?"

"I don't mind!" Yugi protested, but no-one paid him any heed. He reddened, embarrassed at the fuss.

"You can't seriously expect the Prince of Noxell to go foraging!" Danielle was hissing in quiet horror at Jozan.

"Why not?" She asked, genuinely confused.

"Well… He's a Prince!"

"So? This isn't Noxell. This isn't even Nrefder. This is No-Man's Land, and no man rules it. We're all equals here, remember that." She turned back to the main group with her carefree smile back in place. Danielle wondered how two faced she really was. "Right then! What we want is whatever's flammable and comes off the floor. Yu, why don't you take Danniru and Ryou with you, and Jou can come with me and Amnis?"

Danielle knew that she should have been more concerned about how familiarly Jozan addressed Yugi and even Jonouchi, and perhaps within the stiff formality of any other place she would have pulled her up on it, but it did indeed seem as if society's rules had faded away along with the light. In a way, it felt…freeing. What did concern her was the groups. Jozan had said they were not friends, but did she really hate her so much that their old friendship meant nothing to her? Could she be blaming her for what happened to Li'anon? Probably, yes. As Jozan had said, they had grown up apart, and, in the process, grown apart from each other.

They were not friends. They had not been friends for twelve years.

"Amnis? You mean your sister?" Jonouchi was asking, bewildered. "Where is she?"

"I'm right here." Amnis declared, jumping easily down from the tree behind him and scaring him senseless. "Hello everyone!" She paused, looking quizzically at the knight. "What's up with him?"

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

After they had contributed to the wood along with everyone else, the pile had grown far more sizeable and a group had set about cooking. That seemed to be the way things worked in this 'village'. Instead of small family groups, they all lived and worked together, harvesting crops that had been planted with no real organisation and so grew randomly between the trees, below the strange huts and around the small metal bunkers, surviving on the nutrients in the fertile soil; and collecting the limited variety of nuts and berries the forest offered. They had even less as they only collected what had already fallen from the trees- although this rule didn't seem to apply to bushes- and some of the fruit went bad on the ground. As such, the dinner presented to them was a semi-solid grey-brown mush; that tasted far better than it looked. They dug in with enthusiasm, talking idly- although, inside, they were anxious to get back to rescuing Anzu. However, whenever they breached the subject, Jozan would only say that she supposed they had better wait for Seto, and sigh in impatience and irritation.

"Anyone want a cup of tea?" One of the chefs called over to their small group, sitting as they had earlier, around the roots of Jozan's tree. They answered in the definite positive- particularly the weary travellers that hadn't drank since the previous day.

"Good- then you can go and get us some twigs! The fire's going out, and we can't boil the water!"

"What!" Amnis groaned, outraged. "We brought twice as much as anyone else already! That's _forced labour_!"  
"Yeah!" Jozan agreed. "I haven't even finished eating my…" she trailed off, noticing at last that her bowl of mush had gone. She located it a second later. Seto had finally arrived while they'd been distracted and seemed to have every attention of eating some food himself. "Hey! I was eating that!"

"No, you were ignoring it. I'm eating it." Seto corrected, calmly. There had been nothing left in the pot when he'd arrived, and he was too hungry to miss another meal. Jozan glared at him, but he took a large, defiant mouthful, determined to prove there was no way she was getting the remainder of her food back.

Danielle watched the exchange as Jozan started to get threatening without laughter. Although his attitude and tone of voice remained the same, she had never expected Seto to... behave, almost _socialise_, in such a way. It reminded her of a brother and sister, or two old friends, almost. She wondered if, for whatever reason, Seto was more relaxed here in the forest just as she was more relaxed away from Noxell Castle…

Jonouchi, meanwhile, was on his high horse. He hadn't traipsed through the trees and almost been poisoned by an evil little frog that lurked in its perplexing labyrinth for no reason. He had been earning his food with honour. And here was this supposed 'knight' acting, once again, with complete disregard for those around him! "Hey." He said, steely. "Don't you think you should collect some wood before you eat that?"

"He shouldn't be eating it _at all_!" Jozan protested.

It fell on deaf ears.

Glaring at Jonouchi, Seto strode over to the waning fire and carelessly dropped a single, small twig onto it.

"Great. A twig." One of the cooks said sarcastically. "What help is that going to be!"

Eventually, however, the tea was made; and it wasn't quite like what any of the guests had expected. The woody, smoky taste was a far cry from the herbal teas drank in Noxell and the taste of the leaves brewed in Nrefder. In actual fact, it tasted an awful lot like the fire smelt.

"I don't suppose…" Ryou said weakly, having taken a sip and trying to keep his expression polite. "That this tea is made from those twigs to, is it?"

"Yup!" Amnis answered, swallowing some down. "Ground up into powder and boiled. Delicious!"

"Perhaps… it's an acquired taste." Ryou tried, putting the cup down.

"I love it." Jozan agreed with Amnis, before raising her rough wooden beaker high into the air. "But we must have a toast! To-"

"Seto!" a man, aged in his early twenties interrupted, running over to them. He looked dirty and footsore, evidentially having just returned from guiding travellers through the forest. He spied Jozan's tea, still held aloft, and snatched it gratefully. "Thanks, just what I need…" He mumbled, downing it. "Anyway, Seto- just got back, and I met Az on the way. She said she'd be here in about twenty minutes."

Seto nodded. "How was the trip?"

"Excellent! We took the South road and the only danger we bumped into was a Rock Toad! Yet, he was so impressed, he paid the full fee- and a generous tip! It was never like this in the old days!" He grinned, and then excused himself to go and find some food. Seto handed him what remained of Jozan's bowl.

"Here. I don't want it." He stated, and stood to leave.

"There's no point even trying, is there?" Jozan sighed, mournfully tipping her reclaimed cup upside down. Not a single drop remained. "I can't even make anymore unless I go and get more twigs, and by then the water will be cold…"

"Why not just get them from here?" Jonouchi asked, standing up and trying to pull some branches from the tree for her. "If I had my sword-"

"_No!_" Jozan and Amnis screamed at him. He paused.

"It's okay, it has plenty…" He assured them, bewildered; only to suddenly find Seto very, very close to his face.

"Never threaten these trees." Seto said, quietly, dangerously. "Or you'll answer to me."

"Fine." Jonouchi growled, not backing away. "But know this. As soon as I have my sword, you- hey!"

Seto was already stalking away, ignoring the threat.

Danielle remained silent, as she had for the entirety of the meal. She didn't want to comment on this place until she understood it. And that, she felt, might take a little bit longer then she had thought, and a little bit longer than she had.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Despite the apparent business and bustle of the small community, once the meal was finished and cleared away, there was actually very little to be done. There was no news of travellers awaiting guides, and none of the crops growing slapdash around them were in season. They had been watered that morning, and there was really nothing else to be done. Danielle couldn't help but wonder what they did all day- and when they were going to get down to business.

"I don't like this." She confided to Yugi. "Why aren't we making a move? It almost seems as though we're prisoners here!"

He nodded. "I see your point, but what else can we do? There's no way we'll find our way out without these guys."

"But what are they waiting for? This 'Az' person?"

"I guess so. Until she shows up, though, we'll have to-"

"Whatcha talking about?" Amnis asked curiously, dropping from the branches behind them, evidently untroubled by the height. She had grown up in the trees and traversed them as easily as she did solid ground. She also did this very quietly, scaring her hapless victims to death as a result. "Jozan sent me to find you." She offered in explanation. "Az is here."

Yugi and Danielle exchanged looks. Here, at last, was the person they'd been waiting for. There had to be a reason for this anticipated visit. Just who was this Az? What wisdom, what power, did she have that would cause a society that claimed to all be equals defer to her?

Az wasn't anything like they had envisioned. In actuality, she looked no different to anyone else haunting the forest. Still, appearances could be deceptive- even Seto had joined the others to have chance to consult with her.

"Here they are!" Jozan said as they arrived. "Allow me to introduce Danniru, our fellow Ghost of Li'anon and Royal Mage of Noxell; and Yugi, the Prince. Guys! This is Az!"

"He's shorter then I imagined." Az commented, squinting at Yugi. "It's so good to finally meet you!" She continued, smiling at Danielle. "Jozan told me-" She trailed off, although no-one but she and Danielle saw the looks the girl in question was shooting at her. "That you want to go and rescue Anzu." She finished the sentence almost seamlessly. Danielle wondered what the original ending was going to be.

Yugi nodded, oblivious to the exchange. "That's right. Can you help us?"

"Maybe…" Az considered, head tilted to the side. "That all depends on what help you need. I can give you some information."

"Do you know where she is?" Jonouchi demanded, immediately. "Do you know who took her?"

"Not exactly." Az plopped down and sat in the soil, everyone else following suit, arranging themselves in a little circle. "But nothing and no-one comes through this forest without my friends and I knowing about it."

"Oh?" Jonouchi said, cynically. "Then who's in the forest right now?"

"Us, the Ghosts, some woodcutters…"

"What?" Seto snapped, while Jozan and Amnis tensed up. Danielle again wondered what they were missing. Once again, it seemed she had more questions then answers.

"Relax. They were dealt with before I came here. They're leaving. Anyway," She continued easily. "A couple of days ago, some men passed through here. They didn't have a guide, which surprised me, so, naturally, I came here."

"At which point," Jozan interrupted "I went down to the river and I could hear them to."

"We sent a guide out to offer their services-" Az continued.

"Me!" Amnis declared happily. "But they declined."

"Wonder why?" Jonouchi muttered.

"Don't you get it?" Az leant forward. "No-one but us and the Ghosts get through here without a guide- and even they only stick to four set paths. It's death to try. No-one declines."

"But they did…" Danielle muttered. She couldn't understand _how _they could have said no- she got lost just in this little area around the barracks!

"That's not the worst of it." Jozan frowned. "They actually made it through! And, a few days later, returned- carrying a woman."

No-one was surprised at this particular revelation. However, they did begin to exchange worried looks. These men, not of the Ghosts, knew the forest. Just who were they…?

"There wasn't a thing we could do!" Jozan said, angry at the fact itself. "For one thing, by the time Az got to us, there was no way to catch up with them. Seto had already ridden out to the palace shortly after they'd come through the first time. We couldn't go after people just on the pretence they looked suspicious- we'd make no money that way! But now the Princess is gone, our entire livelihood is at risk! What do you think would happen to us if the army wanted their barracks back?" She sighed noisily, as she seemed to be in the habit of doing. "We've got to-"

Az suddenly gasped in pain, jolting forward.

"What is it?" Seto rose urgently to his knees. She straightened up slightly, hand over her stomach that was now bleeding across it's entire length. There were noises of horror from the onlookers.

"I…"

"It's those woodcutters again." Jozan said, grimly. "It's gotta be."

Az nodded, one hand on the tree for support, the other still on her stomach. Apparently, she was still able to function despite the mysterious wound. "…about a quarter of a mile west."

Seto stood without further hesitation, long running strides taking him out of view in a second. Amnis was half way up a tree, Jozan, and, somehow, Az, already on their feet; and, as one body, they began to move out after Seto.

"What's-" Danielle began, alarmed.

"Wait here!" Jozan barked sharply, and then they faded into the undergrowth.

"Ever get the feeling you've missed something?" Jonouchi asked, sighing.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Perhaps the others had no intention of waiting, but they couldn't help that now. The four ran along, three on the ground and one in the tree tops, pounding through bush and bracken alike, urgent and frightened all at once. Following her sister's lead, Jozan scrambled up a trunk, taking to the canopy. She wasn't as fast or as agile as her sister, but at least up here she had a better vantage point.

"I see them!" She yelled. "Seto, a little left!"

"I think they're gonna-" Amnis began in horror, and, right on que, Az fell to her knees, clutching her abdomen, in too much pain even to cry.

"Az!" Seto shouted, half turning, but before he reached her, a woman hurried from the shadow of the trees and gone to her. "Kaho… Will she be alright?"

"Not if you don't stop them!" She pointed out. "Go, go!"

They needed no further prompting, and the three crashed off again.

"What if…" Jozan gasped, hurling herself through the air and to the next tree. "We don't make it in time?"

"That's not an option." Seto said, flatly. Then, instantly, they were upon the men, readying the axe for another swing at the tree before them. They turned and saw Seto. He looked angry, but not overly threatening. After all, this man was all alone in the middle of nowhere.

"What do you think you're doing?" Seto asked, silkily.

"We're taking this tree." The braver of the two stated.

"You've already been told to leave." Seto snarled. "I suggest you do."

"We tried to." The man smirked. "But we got lost. So we figured- why go empty handed? After all, no-one owns this land! It's ripe for the taking!"

"I know some…people who would disagree."

Before they could even think of a response, let alone give one, they found themselves under attack. From the left, arrows swept past them, embedding deep into the ground on the right. From the right came shuriken, deadly throwing stars, remaining standing as though alive in the ground on the left.

"What the!"

"Where'd they come from!"

"They came from the trees." Seto informed them calmly. "The Ghosts of Li'anon do not appreciate having their second home destroyed. Go now, or you may not be able to."

The men hastened to comply, Amnis following unseen and unheard above them to make sure they actually went this time. Jozan hopped down from a tree to the left, and went to pull her arrows from the ground.

"Your aim is getting worse." Seto criticised. "You used to get it at their feet."

"I was firing three at once! And my eyes aren't brilliant! Besides, what about your story? You could at least-"

The argument stopped dead in it's tracks as Kaho entered, supporting Az and placing her gently at the bottom of the scarred tree.

"It's alright…" Az assured them, weakly. "The bleeding's stopping already…"

"What she needs is sleep." Kaho frowned, not really believing her friend's words. Proving the point, Az's eyes sagged shut even as she half-listened to the conversation.

"We're losing control of this forest." Jozan worried quietly. "First people are finding their way through without us, and now we have to attack them to get them to stop cutting down trees! The second we don't get to one in time, someone-"

"That won't happen." Seto said firmly, turning back the way they'd come. "Let's go and work out the next stage- the sooner the Princess is rescued, the sooner something's done."

"What if she doesn't listen…?" Az whispered quietly. Seto crouched down in front of her, looking at her, half-asleep in the trees roots, head just reaching the fresh, weeping wound on the trunk.

"…She'll listen." He grunted.

"Next question, then." Jozan bit her lip. "How are we going to explain this? Or rather, _avoid _explaining it?"

"I'm sure you'll think of something." Seto shrugged. He had no intention whatsoever of doing itself. "You're good at wriggling out of things."

Jozan sighed deeply. "I think I'll take that as a compliment, as it's the nearest to one I'm ever going to get from you…"

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

"Sorry about that!" Jozan said cheerily, rejoining the group and trying not to let the relief that they had waited after all show on her face. "We just had some stuff to clear up- Az is finishing off, but we'll see her tomorrow. We won't see Amnis for a while, I suspect- she's guiding some people out." Finally pausing for breath, she plopped to the ground and began absent mindedly cleaning mud from the head of one of her omnipresent arrows.

"What are you not telling us…?" Jonouchi asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"The most common insect in the Scar is the pentapide."

Jonouchi blinked. "What?"

"A little beetle. Five legs." Jozan explained, indicating the size with her fingers. "A very silly number of legs, if you ask me, but…"

"What's that got to do with anything!" Danielle demanded.

"Well, he asked what I wasn't telling you."

"I don't think-"

"Can we get on with this?" Seto sighed in impatience, apparently ignorant of the fact they'd spent half the day waiting for him. "We know Anzu is in Noxell. Or, we hope she's in Noxell. Az said the men had provisions for a long journey, so they could be even further. What we don't know is her exact location- that's what we need to find out."

"Thank you Captain Obvious." Jozan rolled her eyes. "You have once again saved the world from ignorance. A better question would be- What do we have to work with?"

"Magic." Danielle answered immediately. "And a lot of it. There are plants everywhere- put them together and give me half a minute, and… the impossible becomes a lot smaller."

"Well… I don't have any expertise in plants…" Ryou added, hesitantly. "But I'm told I'm rather good with charms and such. What really interests me, though, is artefacts- spells weaved into everyday objects."

"Forget that!" Jonouchi dismissed, grinning. "Hand me a sword and I can cut through anything!"

Seto snorted. "Wow, that's as useful as Jozan's Ripple-induced dog hearing."

"Hey!" The two insulted chorused.

"All I've really got…" Yugi said, slowly. "Is my position. I am the Prince after all- perhaps that'll help us?" He fingered the Puzzle around his neck as he spoke. "Oh, and this thing apparently has some sort of ancient protection spell on it…I don't know if that's true."

"It is!" Ryou said hurriedly, Danielle nodding in agreement. "I can feel it."

"Awesome!" Jozan smiled. "So we have seven very different people off to save the Princess!"

"Seven…?" Seto asked, in a tone that _heavily _suggested she recounted.

"Amnis and I are coming." She said in a tone to match his. "If war breaks out again, this forest is the frontline. I can't let that happen! We have to come, to make sure _you _don't screw up! Besides…" She smirked. "Just try to get through Noxell without us!"

Seto frowned, knowing what she was thinking of. "No. No. Not again. Never again."

Jozan sighed as she always did. "You know it's the best way for a large group to travel without people getting suspicious. And the best way to get gossip- aka, the best way to find out where Anz is!"

Seto closed his eyes in resignation. "…Fine." He said, reluctantly.

"What are we doing?" Danielle asked, warily. It had been a long, confusing day and what she really needed was a straight answer.

"We're just putting on a bit of a show." Jozan said, smiling innocently. "You know how I love melodrama…"

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

By the time she lay down to sleep that night, Danielle was exhausted. She'd had hard days before, of course; sometimes spells were in demand twenty or thirty times a day, and she'd be casting magic from non-stop from dawn to dusk- and sometimes well into the night on top. Although she hadn't cast any magic at all that day, her body was stiff, sore and bruised. Jozan's brilliant idea had turned out to be that they posed as a travelling circus.

It wasn't a bad idea, by all accounts. The bands of travellers, exchanging bed and board for entertainment weren't uncommon. It would be a lot easier to get gossip and rumours if they appeared to be harmless clowns, and wouldn't alert people to the fact that something was going on. If anyone knew where Anzu was, it would be a busy-body with their nose in everything. They even had everything needed for the disguise tucked away from a previous, disastrous experience that no-one seemed to want to talk about. In fact, there only really seemed to be one flaw.

They had almost no time at all to learn the skills that took real performers a life time to master.

And so, in comparison to the laziness of earlier that day, they were suddenly rushing about at a speed to rival the five-legged pentapide, which was surprisingly nippy. There was a huge volume to be learnt, in a space of time no where near big enough for it. Anzu had already been missing for several days, and time was a blessing they no longer enjoyed. And it was not just new skills they had to learn. In order to pass as a family-run circus, they had to be at least somewhat alike. Now, Jozan and Amnis could obviously appear to be related, and even Seto, to his chagrin, shared their somewhat forest-y looks. The others merely had to pretend to be those that travelled with them- but there were new manners of etiquette and culture to be learnt- if they were to be a group they had to behave like one; they couldn't have her, Yugi and Jou following the customs of Noxell, Jozan and Amnis of the Scar, Ryou of Nrefder and Seto doing whatever the heck he wanted. It was decided that, while travelling in Noxell, that was the behaviour they should adopt. Admittedly, this hadn't been too hard for Danielle, who merely had to realise the differences between Palace life and that of travellers; in comparison to those from outside Noxell, who had to learn everything from accents to colloquialisms. However, it wasn't just circus skills and manners.

She and Ryou had to learn how to fight.

As Mages, combat had hardly been a priority. In fact, their position was really only one step up from any lowly tool- they were there to do whatever needed to be done but couldn't be done without magic. That was the full extent of their job. Until that day, she hadn't touched a sword, let alone a bow, in her life. It worried her that Seto seemed to be expecting so much trouble on this trip- after all, wasn't part of the circus façade intended so that this as-of-yet unknown enemy wouldn't see them coming?- but, she supposed, in order to rescue the Princess from someone who (they thought) wanted war, it would fall to violence eventually. She sighed deeply, wondering how she'd managed to miss the way the world was; wondering what else the Palace had shielded her from. Jozan had been outside those walls, out in the cold of open reality- perhaps that was the key to their differences. She wondered if anyone had ever really been able to trust Jozan and, indeed, if she had ever been able to trust anyone herself. What had twelve years done…?

It had been Jozan, along with some other Ghosts, who had taught them about combat. She remembered her being severely accident-prone, with all the coordination of a one legged horse; tripping over several times a day, mostly over her own feet. She'd always had cuts or scrapes of some description. All traces of that clumsiness was gone now, erased by years of training and the trials of surviving in a forest. She had taught them how to make good use of a bow, and had rather impressed them with her speed and accuracy at shooting- although, when Seto came past, he merely gave some derogatory comment about her tendency to shoot left-handed. For a moment, Danielle had been worried he was going to see her first attempt, but, to her relief, he left. As it turned out, once she'd got the hang of the strange, offensive contraption, she'd been somewhat of a natural. Jozan had complimented her, and, for a moment, it felt like they were friends after all. However, then it was Ryou's turn, and he 'couldn't hit a single enemy if there was an army of thousands in front of him, comprised entirely of blind, unarmed, five year old girls with one arm each'; according to Jozan, anyway.

They'd given up on archery after that.

Swords, or rather sticks found on the ground, had been fun- apart from the Ghost training them being ruthless and a perfectionist. Every move they thought they'd learnt needed to be repeated again and again, faster and faster, until he was satisfied; and they were black and blue, crumpled from exhaustion. However, they had to drag themselves to their feet, because it had been time to learn how to use a staff.

Danielle had assumed this would be the easiest, as she was already used to using a staff, but she was wrong. This was an entirely new use for a staff, unlike any she'd ever even considered before. Despite threatening the member of the Royal Guard with it, her staff was not all that necessary to her magic. The relationship they shared was like that between a beautiful singer and backing music- perhaps the song sounded a little better with it, but the melody could stand perfectly well alone. Likewise, her staff merely assisted her magic- or rather, the red gem did, focusing and honing the spell to it's proper location. Ryou, like all Mages, had this gem set in his staff to, although the design of the head was different. It had fewer curves and was a lot more angular than Danielle's, the centrepiece sitting inside a sharp 'U' shape, two small spikes bending down at the sides.

Needless to say, neither of them had ever used their staffs to clout someone over the head, which seemed to be their general function in combat.

Apparently, it was very easy to knock people out that way.

Regardless of the surprise, Danielle had risen to the occasion, and, in the end, she and Ryou had been in agreement that sparing with staffs was, by far, their favourite form- the staffs felt far more natural to them then swords or bows, and they hadn't been able to shake the feeling of power and grace that the staff had given them.

Danielle wondered vaguely what had happened to _her _over the last twelve years. Her childhood, and Jozan's, and Amnis', had burnt with the hopes and dreams and pride of Li'anon.

They'd collapsed into bed after that, having long since missed the evening meal, but Danielle's mind was restless, somersaulting around the day's events. She tried to calm it down, tried to concentrate on the task at hand- how to use the magic she had offensively, should it come to a fight; and, more prominently, how she could use it to perform the conjuring tricks with the circus and make it look like sleight of hand. They didn't want to cause a stir. Her mind was being rather disobedient- it kept returning to, again and again, why Seto thought all this was necessary- for she was certain it was his idea- and, what, exactly, was going on in the Scar and with Az that they seemed so anxious to keep from them.

"What are you up to, Jozan…?" She muttered into the darkness, just wanting to relieve the oppressive silence that trailed in the wake of darkness and sleep.

"I can't sleep."

Danielle jolted in surprise, having been unprepared for a response, and became aware that Jozan was pushing her way out of the tree house. Silently, she struggled to her feet and followed, vowing that she would get some answers that night. Navigating her way to the forest floor with care in the darkness, she finally completed her descent and turned to find a heavy wooden staff bearing down on her. It was all she could do to raise an arm to protect her face and prepare for the impact.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

"Seto…?"

"I'm not asleep." He answered, sitting up and peering through the gloom.

"Can I come in?"

He nodded mutely, knowing Az had night vision good enough to see the gesture, They sat in silence for a while, seeking comfort from the other's presence and gaining none.

"The tree." Az said eventually. "They nearly killed it. The wood around the edge of the cut is dead. It'll rot… and, over time, it'll spread to the rest… and then… it'll eventually wither away. Do you… understand?"

Seto said nothing, did nothing, for a long time. Then he said, gruffly. "I'll still go."

"But by the time you get back, I'll…"

"I know."  
She sighed, and then shook her head, wavy, red-brown hair hitting her face, coated in a sad smile. "I'm proud of you. And I have something for you."

She opened her hand, but Seto couldn't see in the darkness what it was. But he saw as she lifted it to her lips and kissed it softly. Then she laid it on the floor and slid it over towards him.

"Remember." She stated softly, and disappeared quickly back into the night. Seto stared after her for a long moment, and then reached out for the item she had left him. It glistened slightly, wet from dew, or her tears, or his. It was a leaf, recently pulled from a tree. It was still green.

He made some sort of noise. He wasn't sure if it was a laugh or a cough, a sigh or a sob, but it seemed to sum up his feelings.

Some way away, Az leant her head against the Scar in the trunk, feeling the sap, the life, running from it. It was finally over. Silently, she cried into the silence of an eternal darkness.

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A/N: Az, for anyone who cares, is a character I use in some of my other fics- Namely, **Amusing For Inspiration, Wherever you Go, **and **It's My Move**. Well is in WyG to. Um… Yeah. Just thought you might be interested. To be honest, I shall be surprised if anyone is still reading! If you are, thank you!


	3. Forest II

Part Two- Forest II

Danielle threw herself to the floor, rolling in the pine needles, heart and head pounding. To her good fortune, they were near to where the long sticks they'd used practised with lay abandoned and forlorn, and she grabbed one now, managing to flip onto her back and raise it just in time to block Jozan's second swing. The impact sent waves down her arms, and she knew it was only a matter of seconds before both staffs slammed down on her. Trying not to think too much, she bent her legs and kicked Jozan in the stomach as hard as she could.

Jozan stumbled away, winded, and Danielle scrambled to her feet. Cautiously, she looked around, preparing for another attack.

None came. In fact, it looked as if Jozan had run away, disappeared into the darkness. She relaxed slightly, resting one end of the metre and a half long staff on the ground, sighing. Jozan leapt from a tree behind her, ready to bring the heavy staff down on her, but Danielle had not been as unprepared as she had looked. As Jozan jumped, she swung her own staff sharply upwards, catching Jozan with it and tossing her to the floor, where she lay, sprawled.

"Ow…" Jozan groaned, sitting up, now sporting a split lip. She attempted to wipe the blood from her chin, but to no avail. "Ouch. Okay. Okay, that hurt. Now, then…" She stood up, grabbing her dropped staff. "Now I'm angry!"

She charged at Danielle with such ferocity that she landed two blows; one to Danielle's head, sending her staggering sideways, and another to her arm, knocking her over. Danielle's staff rolled away, leaving her defenceless. She looked up fearfully at Jozan, lips silently moving, silently begging, silently questioning.

Jozan lifted the staff high above her head, and brought it rushing down towards Danielle.

It almost made contact.

Before she was hit, Danielle spat out the activating word of the shield spell she'd been silently forming. Jozan's staff hit with a harsh cracking sound, and she was thrown back with such force that she didn't stop until she crashed painfully into a tree.

The two lay where they were, panting from the exertion. Assuming her opponent was unconscious, Danielle did not get up, too in shock to even contemplate what had just happened. Then, a dagger was hovering over her face, wielded by Jozan, who was a frightening sight with her lip swollen and bruised and bleeding. To Danielle's immense surprise, the dagger embedded itself not in her face, but in the ground as Jozan tossed it carelessly aside. She grinned and held out a hand to help her up. Danielle ignored it, but did get to her feet, and backed hastily away.

"You _are _good!" Jozan said, approvingly. "People would think you'd been training for years! And it was good acting to- Twice you made me think you were helpless…" She trailed off, gingerly feeling her lip.

Danielle was thoroughly confused. "…What?"

Jozan shrugged. "I thought you could use some extra practise. Apparently not. Ow. We might even be able to leave tomorrow!"

"That was '_training'_!" Danielle screeched. "You could have _killed _me! Are you crazy!"

Jozan pondered this as she went to remove the dagger from the ground. "Quite possibly." She said cheerfully, unfazed. "It would explain a lot. But not this." She stared into Danielle's eyes, suddenly all traces of humour gone; just as it had the other times. "Rescuing the Princess is very, very important to me. I won't let you screw it up, Danniru." She stared a moment longer, and then dropped the eye contact and began climbing back up her tree. "That was a really good match, by the way. No-one's touched me before. Except Seto, of course, but you did far more damage than he did." All this was said in a light, friendly, almost proud tone, but was said without looking at her.

"I don't understand you!" Danielle blurted suddenly. Jozan stopped climbing, but still didn't turn around. "First, you act offended because I don't remember you! Then I did, and you snub me! Then you turn friendly, but insist we aren't friends! Then you're all smiles, then you refuse to tell us what's going on, and yet you introduced me to Az as 'my fellow Ghost'! And then you try to kill me before complimenting me on the fight! You _are _crazy! Are we friends or aren't we!"

Silence fell.

"No, Danniru." Jozan said, devoid of emotion. "We are not friends."

Soundlessly, they climbed back up and settled down to sleep. Danielle's mind was numb. Just before she fell into a deep and silent sleep, she registered the thought that, yet again, Jozan had evaded answering any questions she may have asked.

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"Wake up!" Jozan said, irritated now. In fairness to Danielle, the Mage probably hadn't slept properly for days, and they had been up late the night before; but no-one should be this _phenomenally _hard to wake up! It wasn't natural. She'd called her several times, even shook her, and was now prepared for a more violent approach. "Oiy!" She yelled, stamping on the sleeper's stomach. "Wake up!"

Amazingly, Danielle only stirred slightly, rolling over and mumbling something incomprehensible. Jozan blinked in disbelief. Was this girl under a spell or something! Finally, she grabbed hold of her and tossed her across the room.

That did the trick.

Danielle, disorientated, looked around in confusion. "Huh! What! What's happening!"

"You are _impossible_ to wake up…" Jozan grumbled. "It's too early in the morning for violence…"

"Oh. Um… sorry." Danielle shrugged. At the Palace, she was always up at dawn without fail, ready for work; the same on the road. Her internal clock was good like that. But here, it had figured she didn't need to get up and so… Jozan had a funny look on her face. "What's the matter?"

"I…" Then Jozan shook her head. "Just a touch of… whatjamacallit. Oh, déja vu. Weird. Anyways, let's go- it's going to be a busy day! Especially when 'Nis isn't here to help…"

"Isn't she back yet?"

Jozan sniffed. "Nah, it's a day and a half's journey to the nearest edge of the Scar; and that's if it's all quiet. We'll probably meet up with her somewhere on our way out."

"Are we leaving today?" Danielle questioned hopefully.

"Maybe. That all depends on you and your friends, doesn't it?" Jozan answered shortly, scrambling down the tree trunk in just the same way as she had for years. She wasn't lying when she said it was going to be a busy day.

After the chaos, confusion and commotion known by the locals as 'breakfast', it was time to start the day's work. However, as that hadn't actually been decided upon yet, they found themselves once again grouped at the foot of Jozan's tree. Once again, Seto was absent.

(Original A/N scribbled in the notebook at this point following a bout of writer's block- I AM LOSING THE WILL TO LIVE WITH THIS FIC! ARRGGH! Ahem)

"Well, I guess we all know what our disguise is…" Danielle tried. "Jozan, you and Amnis are the younger sisters of Seto, and it's your family circus."

Jozan pulled a face. "Yippee." She quipped. "But yeah. Tomasu, Risu, and Chiharu Zondervan. Our mother died several years ago from illness that came on after having Chiharu." This was a common story. Childbirth certainly was a dangerous occupation. "Our father died three years ago. He left his only possession, the circus, to his oldest child and only son- Seto. Uh, Tomasu, that is; who is twenty-one. So we all have to pretend he's older then us." She grimaced. "And I have to pretend he's my brother. Oh, I'm the story-teller!" She smiled at the thought of all the melodrama that would allow her.

"Yup." Danielle nodded. "And I'm Yumi Haiaku, from Denwa. I'm in the circus to earn money for my widowed mother. I do conjuring tricks with my cousin… Ryou?"

"Kahei Haiaku." Ryou began to recite, dutifully. "Her father was mine's younger brother. As he had just one daughter, my father instructed me, his youngest son, to go to his brother's family to help however I could- and I've ended up here."

"Great." Jozan teased. "But what was his name? What did he do? How did he die?"

"Hatoshi Haiaku." Danielle answered immediately. "He was a fisherman with 'Kahei' helping him."

"We were caught up in a storm one night." Ryou continued. "I was still a child so he secured me to the side but didn't have time to do it for himself. He drowned, and although I survived, I couldn't carry on fishing as fishermen are very superstitious and the boat was burnt to prevent it becoming a vessel for his spirit. We couldn't afford a new boat, so Yumi and I decided to join the circus using tricks we'd learnt as children."

"We've been in the circus five years, the longest of anyone, and first joined when your father- Shigemori Zondervan." Danielle concluded. "Jou! Your turn!"

"I've already done mine." Jozan frowned.

"No, no- Jou! Jonouchi!"

"Oh, I see…"

Jonouchi scratched his ear, trying to remember. "Oh…um… right. Isamu Kudo, I balance…stuff… and um… sometimes I throw it and… stuff. Yeah."

Danielle glared at him. "And? What are you doing with the circus?"

Jonouchi sighed in relief. He knew this one. "My family are carpenters in Hearn. I didn't want to go into carpentry so I left two years ago when your circus passed through my town, and came to seek my fortune."

"And then there's me, Tenzo Ayako." Yugi offered instantly. "I came just after Isamu, as a juggler. I'd grown up in a different circus but had left because my father, it's head, wanted me to marry one of the girls, who had tried to marry one of the other performers but my father hadn't allowed it. I decided the only way to solve the problem was to leave."

"See? We're all fine on back stories." Danielle said, proudly. Perhaps if she could convince everyone they were ready to go, they could get started. "I guess that's one less thing to worry about, right…?" She was all too aware of how much time had elapsed. Every moment had to be used wisely. She was anxious to get going.

"Wait a minute!" Jonouchi put in. "What are Seto and Amnis doing? What's _their _role- all we know right now is their names."

"Amnis is our musician." Jozan explained. "Seto…"

"What does he do?" Jonouchi demanded, wearily.

"Whatever the heck he wants to, I should imagine." Jozan snorted. "In fact, I'm going to go and find him. And beat him with a stick." She smiled at the thought.

"What about us?" Danielle asked. Jozan shrugged.

"Well, I could use more practise…" Yugi admitted. "And so could Jonouchi. We keep dropping the stuff on our heads!"

"We probably need some extra practise to." Ryou said to Danielle.

"I've had plenty…" Danielle muttered darkly, but then she nodded. "We need to work out a routine. And it's still obvious it's real magic and not just good sleight of hand! We don't want to cause a commotion…"

"Now that that's decided…" Jozan said, picking a large stick up from the ground. "Let's jump to!"

And so, they did.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

The sun was beginning to set, and although the other inhabitants of the forest were starting to wind down for the day, Danielle and the rest of Anzu's rag-tag rescue party were still engaged in their work. The time for training and practise had now passed, had been stretched to capacity and exhausted. Now was the time of preparation, making ready for the journey.

They had split into two groups, uneven as Seto, despite Jozan's efforts, hadn't been seen all day. Jonouchi and Ryou were at the encampment in the forest, inspecting somewhat sceptically a small cart. It was the only one the Ghosts owned, and as a result, the inside contained a million odours of a million different items, each indistinguishable from the next. The space was tight, and they may have all _just _squeezed in, if it were not for the fact their equipment and props had to go in to. Ryou and Jonouchi had set about loading it up with a single change of clothes each and food and water sufficient enough to get them through the forest. After that, they were depending on Noxell's hospitality- and Ryou wasn't sure he trusted that. He tried to push the thoughts away. Every person he'd met from Noxell had been nothing but pleasant. Despite the fact the war had supposedly ended some twenty years previously, tension was still rife between the two countries. He ignored the doubts. He couldn't help them being there, perhaps, but he didn't have to attend them. He wasn't in the Palace anymore. As Jozan kept reminding them, he wasn't in Nrefder anymore either. Things were different here. He wasn't entirely comfortable with this way of life, this uncertainty, but he had to do it. He had to save Anzu. For the sake of Nrefder. For Noxell, even. For the Scar. And, not that he'd admit it, maybe for himself to. He didn't think he could stand the Palace without her. He certainly had no joy in his work. He hated his job. By now, he probably would have run away, if it hadn't been for her. His…friend. His best friend, who he had all but given to the kidnappers. He had to help rescue her.

…But what if they _did _save her? What then? She would be the Queen of Nrefder, loved by thousands. And, in time, once they had reached a palindromic age, as was tradition- in this case, twenty-two- she and Yugi would-

"Ryou!" Jonouchi yelled into the cart. "Get out here already!"

Ryou shook the thoughts away and hopped, tripping over his robes in the process, down from the cart, joining Jonouchi at the side, beneath where 'ZONDERVAN FAMILY CIRCUS- _Stop us now!' _was painted in big black letters. "What's up?"

"They finally brought our weapons back!" He said, happily, picking up his sword. "Man, it's good to have you back, Aussen!"

"Interesting name." Ryou remarked, picking up his own staff and feeling it's comforting weight. "What does it mean?"

"True Honour." Jonouchi said, proudly. "What about that staff of yours, eh? What's it's name?"

"…Patricia."

Jonouchi blinked. Could _Ryou _be making a joke! He'd never noticed the Mage having a sense of humour. "Seriously?"

"Of course." Ryou smiled sincerely, patting 'Patricia'.

Jonouchi couldn't quite work out if he was joking or not, and, as they concealed all the weapons beneath the supplies of food, clothing and props for the show, he wished Yugi or Danielle were here to explain it to him.

But they were with Jozan. He'd been too loud, and Ryou too clumsy for their job.

They were trying to catch a horse, as it happened.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

"You know…" Yugi said, conversationally, trying to pull a branch out of his line of sight. "This would be a lot easier if you kept the horses in a pen!"

"I guess…" Jozan considered. "But then we'd have to find room for one. And it wouldn't be as nice for the horses- or _nearly _as much fun for us!"

"I don't find this 'fun'…" Danielle grumbled quietly.

"No, neither do I." Jozan admitted, looking at the trap in despair. "Come on…where are you…?"

"Why can't we just use one of the horses we brought with us?" Yugi asked. "And save all this bother?"

"Well, about that…" Jozan began, sheepishly. "You know how we don't keep horses in pens…?"

"They're running around inside the biggest forest in the world, aren't they?"

"Yeah."

"Great."

Some bizarre moral code inside the endless trees dictated that horses should be allowed to roam free around the Scar, meaning that when they were needed, they had to be caught. Which, as well as making many a fun-filled afternoon, was the highly logical explanation as to why they were spending the evening concealed in a tree, staring down at a 'bait' of grasses and flowers. Danielle hadn't liked horses to begin with, one of the few things she and Jozan agreed on. This was _not _her idea of a good time.

"I don't understand," She began. "How horses got into the forest to begin with! As far as I'm aware, it's hardly their natural habitat!"

"They came with us when Li'anon burnt." Jozan shrugged. "Guess they've bred and multiplied since then…"

"…Jozan…" Danielle hesitated. This seemed as good a time as any.

"Didn't I tell you to call me Jo?"

"Jo, I want to know exactly-"

"Ssh!" Yugi interrupted, in a harsh whisper. "Look!" He pointed downward to where a dappled pony was happily munching away on his free meal.

"Finally…" Jozan breathed, unhooking a bridle from the branch beside her and slinging it over her shoulder. "Okay…" She muttered. "Here goes…" She began to climb slowly, cautiously, silently, to the ground. Yugi and Danielle slipped down to, hiding to each side in case it tried to run. The horse had seen Jozan now, but, reasonably tame, did nothing beyond tense up slightly.

"Hey, it's okay…" Jozan said, soothingly, slowly approaching. She reached out a hand and gently rubbed his nose. He snorted appreciatively. "Oh, you like that, don't you…? Now, just hold still, there's a good boy…" Jozan paused. "Oh, I beg your pardon- you're a girl, aren't you? Yes, I remember- April, you pulled the cart for us last time, didn't you…? Well, just hold on one second…" She began to remove the bridle from her shoulder.

April didn't like that very much. At all. Snorting in indignation, she pawed the ground in annoyance and backed away.

"Oh, hold still!" Jozan demanded, abandoning all pretence of friendliness now and advancing on the horse.

April was smarter then that, and easily evaded as Jozan leapt for her, leaving her would-be captor sprawling in the dirt before pounding away into the forest- in the one direction they didn't have covered. Jozan pounded the ground in anger. "Seto!" She screamed in frustration, but couldn't help but laugh at herself.

"I hardly think you came blame _this _on him…" Yugi tried, helping her up.

"Yes, I can. He should be doing this!"

Danielle blinked. "Does he…like horses?"

"Nope." Jozan snorted. "But they like him! Where is he when you need him, eh? Nowhere to be found, as usual!"

The answer, as it happened, was half way up another tree.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

"The sun's starting to set." Az commented, unwillingly breaking the silence, unwilling to put an end to their time together. "You ought to go and find Jozan- before she finds you."

Seto just snorted.

"She's really not that bad, you know…"

"Not that bad!" Seto echoed disbelievingly. "She keeps…laughing! At the slightest thing! And smiling! All the time, whatever happens, she's…happy! It's so infuriating! And I'm _sure _she's deranged…"

He sighed, but Az was laughing at him, not at Jozan. "Seto, you're so grumpy. Lighten up!" Suddenly, she grew serious. "People need joy in their lives, Seto. Don't take that away. Although, she's been in a bit of a bad mood recently… I thought she'd be happy once we finally found Danniru, but… Any ideas what's up?"

Seto raised an eyebrow, wondering why she thought he should know. Or care. Or why they were even discussing it.

"Okay, okay…" Az said, defensively. "I'm just a little worried, that's all…"

"Why don't you worry about _yourself_ for a change?" Seto demanded harshly, looking away from the forest and at her. "Az-"

"What's the point?" She asked, softly. "Seto… It's beyond the point where worrying is going to do any good. For me, at least."

"So you're just going to accept it! You're going to give up! I don't believe this…!"  
"How can you say that!" She demanded, eyes full of hurt. "How can _you_ say that! I've fought to the end, Seto, I have, but there is a time to accept things, and the time to accept things is now! Silent Wind or not, there is nothing you or I or anyone else can do, as much as we might want to! I don't care how many times you've seen death! You don't seem to understand it comes to us all! Let it go! Let _me _go! Get on with the task at hand, and, for heavens sake…let me go… with dignity! Don't make this harder!" She sobbed bitterly, letting the tears flow unabated. "Don't make this harder…!"

"Az…" He murmured, ashamed.

"I'll come with you." She said, suddenly.

"What?" Seto was taken aback.

"I can take you to where they left the forest. I can do that much." Az stated, monotonously. "At least then you'll start in the right place, and I'll have… Let's go."

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Danielle, Yugi and Jozan returned, empty handed and exhausted. Only two other horses had fallen for the trap, and both had escaped in much the same manner as the first, although they had all had a turn at coaxing them to be still long enough to put the bridle on. Patience wearing thin, they had given chase to the third, but, short of Jozan's offer to 'Put an arrow in the flipping thing' they'd had no way of catching it and had been forced to surrender.

So, their reactions to finding Seto standing impatiently with Ryou and Jonouchi, holding easily onto April, their arch nemesis, was a mixture of surprise, embarrassment and annoyance.

"You…" Jozan spluttered, although no-one was entirely sure if she was directing the comment at Seto or the horse. "You…" She didn't get any further, however, as April had decided it was time to chow down. And the food of choice? Seto's hair.

Needless to say, Seto didn't find it as funny as the others did when April pulled him sideways and slobbered happily over the top of his head; in complete disregard to his feelings on the circumstances and his attempts to get away.

"I see what she meant about horses liking him…" Danielle laughed as Seto finally yanked himself away, glaring evilly at April while finally getting her reigned in to pull the cart; all the while evading her attempts to get some dessert.

"Be quiet." Seto hissed at his supposed comrades in such a dangerous tone they immediately did as they were commanded. Except for one, and the others jumped when they heard her, for they hadn't noticed Az was there, hidden as she was in the lower branches of a nearby tree; the accustomed place to be in the Scar. Seto glared at her.

"I'm sorry…" She laughed, probably more then it actually deserved. But, as she had said, people needed joy in their lives. For her, she needed it now more then ever. "But you just looked so funny…it was so cute!" Az turned to Jozan, and everyone watched, amazed at the girl who had the guts to call Seto 'cute'; but Danielle's gaze remained on Seto, gauging his reaction. He was glaring all the harder, but… somehow, it seemed his heart wasn't in it. He seemed almost…sad. And was it just her, or were there tinges of red lurking around his neck and ears…? No-one else seemed to notice, watching instead as Az and Jozan conversed.

"Jozan!" Az was reprimanding. "That was a _golden _opportunity to tease Seto! I can't believe you missed it! I'm actually quite disappointed…"

"I know…" Jozan mourned. "But I just couldn't think of anything! And now the moment's gone…"

"Just be ready next time!"

"Well, I wasn't _expecting _the horse to try and eat him! Hey…Imagine if she'd got his hair! Can you imagine him bald!"  
"Can we just get on with this?" Seto demanded steely.

"You want to leave?" Yugi asked in surprise, looking around at how the sun was making it's last feeble attempts of lighting the forest. In the shadow of the trees, it would very quickly become totally dark. "Now?"  
"No time like the present." Az shrugged, launching down from the branch and alighting to the ground. "I'll take you to the edge of the forest, to the point where they left with Anzu."

"But…now?" Jonouchi faltered. "It'll be dark soon…"

"Scared?" Seto asked, with a vampire grin.

"No! Just aware of the time!"

"I'm not sure there _is _any time here." Danielle commented. "It's _always _dark beneath all these trees. Time is running out for Anzu- we don't know who has her or what they'll do. We should get moving."

"That's what I like to hear." Az said, approvingly.

"Well then." Jozan grinned. "People, it's time to mosey!"

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Nrefder's palace was unsettled, and Aonhal, the Regent, knew it. It had been days now since his niece had been kidnapped. Days since the Prince of Noxell and the rest had gone to look for her- and without the Mage- Ryou? Ryan?- around, the wards defending the castle were weak; and other things just weren't getting done. It was strange, he considered, drumming his fingers impatiently on the arm of his chair, how you don't notice things till they've gone. Then, the door to the room opened, and Ryuko came striding in, full of the self assurance that came with his status as Captain of the Royal Guard, a personal friend of the Royal Family, and as Anzu's Godfather. He was getting old now, his once raven hair white with the last few streaks of grey. Unlike most of the Guard, he remembered the war; and more then that to- he had fought in it, advised in it, and kept Nrefder hanging in there right until to the end. He was so respected and famous now that some said he had more say in the running of the country then the Monarchy themselves. But not today.

"Sir?" He questioned, coming and sitting down opposite the Prince Regent.

"Any news?" Aonhal questioned without hope.

"Well and the rest of the Elite should reach the Scar by the end of the day. That's it."

"Nothing from Seto?"

Ryuko snorted. "That idiot? Of course not. He's never filled a report in his life, and I sincerely doubt he will now. We won't hear from him again until he next bails us out of a disaster."

Aonhal smiled grimly. "I thought he was an idiot?"

"He'd talented." Ryuko admitted, nodding. "But he's a fool. Complex people are impossible to trust, because you can't understand their motives. Intelligent complex people hide their personalities. Foolish complex people have egos so large they become arrogant, and they believe they don't need anyone to trust them because they don't need anyone."

"You seem to have a good grasp of his character, considering you claim not to understand him. How does that work?" Aonhal teased.

"The man's a paradox in his own right." Ryuko dismissed. "Now, tell me, Aon- what did you _really _summon me to discuss? Without that Mage around, we're more open to attack then ever, and with the best quarter of the Guard gone…"

"…I'm tired, Ryu." Aonhal sighed after a moment's hesitation. "I'm ready to hand over to Anzu. I think she's ready for it. I was never supposed to be in charge. My brother was the solider, the king… I was a mage, happy to tinker away with magic until it died away…" He shook his head. "I'm no king. I just want to give Anzu her rightful position back. I know she'll do well at it."

"I think that's what all of Nrefder wants." Ryuko said quietly. "This attack came from Noxell. That's why you might have one more decision to make. Once the public get hold of this, they'll demand action. And if Seto and the others don't succeed, our hand will be forced. It will come to war."

"What!" Aonhal demanded. "But… we don't even know what the hostage takers want! Perhaps if we meet their demands-"

"No. You kidnap the children of dignitaries to get money. You kidnap Princesses to make a political statement. Someone wants war, wants to settle what was started twenty years ago- no, centuries ago, after the Divide- and so do many others. So does almost everyone. This may be the flame to the fuse.

"But… It's so mindless!"

"I know. Perhaps better than anyone, I know." Ryuko nodded. "It's mindless, but I don't know how much choice we'll have. Noxell's government would never help us- they won't admit the kidnapping had anything to do with their country at all. They have to protect their own, I suppose. They want to continue the War- the Wars, _all _of them. And so does, I'm afraid, most of Nrefder. Everyone's so frightened they'll be attacked that they'd rather attack first- or have a peaceful agreement. And if Noxell has the Princess… it is a hostile act. The situation is slipping out of our control."

Aonhal buried his head in his hands. "Let's hope that 'idiot' finds her."

"Yes." Ryuko said grimly. "Or there will be hell. We _must _get Anzu back!"

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

They'd been walking for somewhere between half an hour and a full one, but it was hard to tell when the light and scenery remained constant all the time. They remained almost silent, except when helping to get the cart through the gaps between trees far too small for it. Az directed them without hesitation, seeming to know every inch of the forest instinctively; although the rest of the Ghosts only knew five distinct routes- to each point of the compass, and to Li'anon to the South-West from the village. Finally, Az stopped.

"What's up?" Jozan asked her, as Seto was once again attacked by April in the background. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Az assured her, although she seemed tired. "But I figured this would be a good place to wait for Amnis."

"Where is she?" Jozan asked, looking around.

Az shrugged. "I'm not sure exactly… Wait, I'll ask."

Ryou, who had been listening, watched in confusion. Who was there to ask…? To his surprise, Az closed her eyes, and pressed her hand to the trunk of the tree she was perched in. The stench of magic overwhelmed him for a moment, different and unusual.

Then it stopped, and she opened her eyes.

"She's right over there, as I thought." Az pointed in a random direction. It didn't make much difference when everything looked the same, all sense of direction swallowed by the ocean of trees. "And coming this way. She should pop up right about…now."

Amnis appeared in the branches of the tree Az was pointed at. "There you all are!" She pouted. "I looked all over the East road for you, but you weren't there! Luckily, Millierie came and had pity on me… Why didn't you tell me Az was taking you?"

No-one paid any attention to her.

"You love being right, don't you?" Jozan was saying wryly.

"Yup!" Az smiled.

"Well… it is cool…"

"You talk to the trees!" Ryou blurted out, looking at Az with a mixture of wonder and suspicion. "They tell you what they see! That's… unnatural!"

Az looked at him, annoyed. "Unnatural? Why is it anymore unnatural then what you do? Your magic comes from water. Mine comes from wood. What's the difference? Why is my magic unnatural!"

"Hel-llo…!" Amnis tried, feeling very unappreciated.

"…You're right." Ryou confessed. "Yes. I'm sorry. Please, forgive me- I was just surprised by it. I've never seen nor heard of magic coming from anywhere but water before…" He looked as though he was suddenly struck by a realisation, and gasped. "It was _you_! You're the reason I could never find Seto! You've been masking the Forest from scrying, haven't you?"

"Well… Not on my own…" Az tried. "But… yeah. It was us!"

Ryou turned to Jozan and laughed in astonishment. "And all this time I thought it was _you_!"

"Me?" Jozan laughed. "I have all the magic of a sesame seed! No, I'm a one-trick pony. When there are ripples near by, I hear every sound for miles around, massively amplified. I can hear the valves in your heart snapping open and shut, I can hear the tread of a ladybird on a leaf… If I want to or not. I'm confined to my actual surroundings- since that first time, I've never heard the future or another world. And I can't influence what I hear like you can. That's it! I don't even have enough magic to do a basic spell…"

Ryou was still marvelling at the discovery of a new type of magic. He shook his head. "This world is full of surprises." He kept saying, again and again.

"I _am _back, you know." Amnis tried. "Anyone?"

"Oh, 'Nis!" Jozan grinned. "Hi!"

"Hallelujah!"

"Guess what!"

"What?"

Jozan smirked and pointed at the cart. Amnis' face fell.

"Oh, no…"

"Oh, yes. It's circus time!" Jozan giggled manically.

"In that case…" Amnis sighed, feeling into the pocket of her tunic. She pulled out some red, rather faded fingerless gloves and wriggled her hands into them, flexing them around and getting them in a comfortable position. "I'd better wear these. Can't go on an adventure without these…"

They set off again, Ryou getting quite excited about this unusual magic and asking many questions. Danielle only half-listened, watching Jozan and her sister interact. She didn't catch what had been said, but the two were laughing heartily. Az was laughing to, at Ryou getting so excited. Yugi and Jonouchi were deep in conversation, and Seto made some sort of comment to Az, which, while said completely seriously, made her and Ryou crack up again.

And then Danielle knew what they were trying to save. And it wasn't just the Princess.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

"_Stop! Don't move!" _Az screamed suddenly, and, surprised, everyone jumped at least a foot back before they could comply. Apart from Seto, who merely stopped and joined everyone else in looking at her to see what on Earth could be the matter. They had been walking for some time now without any problems, or, indeed, any sound. "Nobody move." She repeated again. "Um… Except you, Ryou. I want you to back away, very, very slowly."

"Why…?" Ryou asked, fearfully, looking around. All heads swivelled towards him. He had been taking his turn at leading the cart, and so was bringing up the rear of the group; but no-one could spot any danger. It was just Ryou and April, and, in front of them, a tiny, slate-grey frog. Was Az an animal lover?

"Oh, no…" Jozan muttered. "Ryou. Do. Not. Step. On. That. Frog. Please, just…don't." She whispered.

"Why, what's it going to do? It's tiny!" Jonouchi said, wondering what all this fuss was about.

"You don't want to find out, trust me." Az said, grimly, from her vantage point in the tree, relieved she'd happened to look back in time. "Ryou, just… back away."

Ryou nodded, a little bewildered. Unfortunately, he tripped over the hem of his robes, and though he tried to direct his fall to the side, he really tried, he fell on top of the poor, helpless, frog.

No-one moved.

"Uh-oh…" Jozan breathed.

"Huh…?" Ryou muttered. The poor thing should have been squished, but he could feel it moving beneath him. He quickly rolled off it. The frog was twice the size it had been and was swelling still. "What on earth…?"

"Okay!" Jozan cried, sounding a little worried. " It's fine. Everyone take deep, calming, breathes and RUN!"

They did.

Behind them, the frog grew larger and larger, and more rotund, rolling along in pursuit of them. It's legs hadn't grown, however, and stuck out like tiny twigs at the sides of the massive boulder. It rolled faster and faster, getting larger and larger, bowling down trees in it's wake; huge, bulbous eyes glaring down at them. Az and Amnis had taken to the trees, screaming as the tree they'd last occupied fell behind them. The others were faring no better on the ground, dodging the falling wood, Ryou still trying to pull a panicked horse along.

"This is why you weren't supposed to tread on it!" Jozan yelled at Ryou, running for her life.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…!" Ryou chanted. Then, his robes struck again. He tripped and fell, staring up as the frog, the boulder, bared down on him. A moment ago he had been on top of it. Now the roles would be reversed.

"Crud!" Jozan screamed at the top of her voice, skidding to a halt. She pulled an arrow from the quiver at her back. Amnis detected the movement and hopped back a tree, feeling in the pouch at her waist for her shuriken.

"I'm with you Jo!" She yelled. "Fire!"

The arrow caught the frog in the left side, and the stars peppered holes all over the place. The frog's skin had been so stretched and was now so thin that it punctured easily; and, to everyone's surprise, it flew up into the air, bleeding, raining pus, and expelling gas, and blew away on it's own steam somewhere over the trees.

"Well…" Jozan said, grimacing as she wiped frog goo off her face and spitting it out of her mouth. She, Amnis and Ryou had got the worst of it. She squinted up at the sky and could just make out the tiny dot of the ever shrinking frog on the horizon. "…I have to confess, I wasn't expecting that."

"I am _never _doing that again." Ryou vowed, shaken, climbing to his feet. "Ever."

"…What the hell was that thing!" Jonouchi had finally got his voice back.

"That was a Rock Toad." Az informed him. "So called because when it's under attack, it swells up to two hundred times it's original size and becomes an unstoppable boulder. I'd appreciate it if no-one else trod on one." She looked around at the fallen trees, and the sight brought tears to her eyes.

"Hey, don't cry…" Yugi tried. "It's alright. Everyone's alright. Isn't that the main thing?"

Az was talking to the tree again, and she finished before she answered, nodding slightly. "Yeah, it is." She shot a meaningful glance at Seto. "It's okay- Everyone's alright."

Seto nodded, as tears continued to flow unabated down her face.

"Please… Don't cry." Yugi repeated, feeling useless. Az's reply confused him very much.

"I'm not. It's the forest."

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

The flight from the Rock Toad had taken them far off course, and now, even Az was struggling to get them back on route safely. They weren't helped by the fact that it was getting darker by the second. They had paused for a moment, so she could consult, almost trance-like, with the trees around them. Jozan and Amnis set about clearing their weapons of frog innards, while Seto tried to calm April, who was still panicked even now; while trying to avoid having his head eaten. The others were watching Az, fascinated by what the three had seen a million times before.

"Hey, when did our lives become the subject of a bad joke?" Jozan remarked to her sister. "I mean, seriously. Two knights, two Mages, and a Prince lost in the woods. And that's even _before _you put us into the scenario…"

Suddenly, Az jumped from the branch, and landed lightly on the ground. "Got it." She said, not looking too happy about it. "We're _way_ out. No wonder I barely recognise it… I've only been here once."

"Where are we?" Seto asked.

"We are in the Triangle." Az said grimly. "The safest place in the Scar."

Jozan and Amnis paled.

"Well, that sounds… good." Danielle ventured.

"It's not." Amnis said. "It's really not. I didn't think this place was actually real…"

"I'd hoped we'd be somewhere where we could stop for the night." Az sighed. "But we need to get out of here- fast."

"But… surely, if it's the safest…?" Ryou started.

Az shook her head. "Oh, it's safe, all right. This would be the perfect place to put prisoners. You see, over _there _is Mah Bird territory. We must have run right through it. Lucky the toad scared them off…" She turned to face the opposite direction. "Over _there _is rock toad territory. Your friend must have got a little bit lost. But out there, you can't move for them." She pointed in a third direction. "And, over there is where the Snapping Turtles live. This is a triangle of land, contested between the three of them, and surrounded on all sides. There could be an invasion at any moment."

"Snapping Turtles?" Jonouchi echoed. "Hey, we have those at home! That doesn't sound so bad…"

"Really?" Jozan blinked. "Dude, you have guts! I know _I'm _not going anywhere near them! Not when they explode like that!"

"…Explode?" Jonouchi said, confused. "But… They don't 'explode'. They just bite. That's why they're called snapping turtles!"

"No, no, no!" Jozan argued. "When two walk into each other, they explode! It makes a little snapping sound and blows your limbs off! Hence the name!"

Jonouchi looked put off. "On second thought… How about we go for the Mah birds?"

"Are you kidding?" Amnis demanded. "They fire poisonous needles at anything that moves!"

"I think we should go for the Rock Toads." Az said, quietly.

"No!" Ryou protested weakly. "Please… no more toads…"

"It's alright." Az reassured him. "They can't climb trees. So as long as we don't touch the ground…"

"We'll be okay!" Jonouchi grinned.

"Eh, I see a flaw." Jozan sighed. "Horses can't climb trees. And neither can carts."

They all paused and looked at where April had abandoned Seto for the moment and was grazing happily on the grass that grew here. It was a rarity in the Scar, grass.

"Someone would have to take it separately." Amnis stated. "So… Any volunteers?"

"If we go through the Snapping Turtles instead," Seto said, perfectly calm as always. "You can still stick to the trees. Then I can ride on the cart and get us through the turtles. They don't move all that fast, so if I go and speed, I can get through without any going off."

As if to disprove his point, they heard a faint 'snap' sound echoing from one side.

"Well…" Az considered. "It would be quicker to get back on route… And their territory is a long, thin line- it would be easy to get through… There's a couple of mud fish on the other side, of course, but nothing to worry about."

"Mud fish?" Ryou echoed.

"Nothing to worry about!" She repeated. "But… Seto, are you sure about this?"

Jonouchi snorted. "Let him go. It's about time he did something useful! Nice to see you have a spine in that stiff body of yours!"

Seto shot him a dirty look, climbing up onto the thin plank that formed the driving seat up at the front of the cart. "Then perhaps you'd care to join me?" He snarled, patting the bench next to him.

"I…uh… no, thank you."

"I thought not." Seto flicked the reigns, and April started to trot towards the fringe of trees that marked the edge of the triangle. Then he paused. "I'll let you get a head start." He decided, and the others climbed up into the trees, and moved from branch to branch, from tree to tree- some with more ease then others. It was awfully slow progress, but, eventually, they disappeared from view.

Seto settled down to wait, as did April, snorting and flicking her ears into the breeze.

"I hope you're ready to run…" He muttered to her.

Amazingly, they all made it through Snapping Turtle territory without major disaster. The turtles were everywhere, along the bank of the river that ran down near the village and eventually down to the sea. The two Mages and Jozan had to ignore the running water's effects- they weren't yet quite close enough for it to be more then a whisper in their minds, or for Jozan to get more then slightly heightened hearing. None of the Turtles had 'snapped' yet, and Danielle was gaining confidence at climbing from tree to tree, and was now keeping pace with Jozan.

They were fanned out in a little row. Az was at the front, easily finding a route through the closely knotted branches, ignoring the turtles fanned out at the bottoms of the trees. Yugi and Jonouchi were right behind her, and Amnis behind them. Jozan was next, with Danielle following; and Ryou was bringing up the rear, making his way slowly and cautiously along. "Don't fall, don't fall…" He was whispering to himself again. He'd had more then enough of nature already.

Danielle looked ahead. Az was taking them straight towards the river- it looked like they would have to cross. The closer they got, the more visions pressed against the edge of her mind, and tried to seep in. If that happened, she'd be out of it, and it would be straight down into turtle land.

"We'll have to hurry…" She muttered, blinking her eyes against the white that was invading them. "I'm not sure how long I can fight the Ripples…"

"We're almost there." Jozan assured her. "We're about to cross. And Seto's on his here."

Jozan hadn't turned round to look, but as Danielle dared to look back, she saw the girl was correct, picking his way silently through the turtles. He'd changed tack- they'd come at a bad time. The turtles were in the middle of a nap; every single one had crawled out of the river. There were too many to run through, he was forced to guide the horse slowly, painstakingly through, a foot at a time. He was trying not to wake the turtles up and send them wandering around. But it might have been too late. Some were beginning to wake up completely of their own accord.

"Give me a second." Jozan instructed, and Danielle realised they were at the final tree. A thin, winding bough stretched out over the river, and from there you could jump and clear the water. Jozan ran down it without a second thought, launched over the water easily, and landed on the other side with the others. Danielle noted with a laugh that Yugi and Jonouchi had not fared so well, each splashed up his legs.

The laugh distracted her, and for a moment, the ripples clouded her senses. Amazingly fast, she pushed it away. But she couldn't keep this up. She had to get over, now.

"Danniru, hurry…" Jozan prompted, sounding tense. Danielle looked down and saw two turtles wandering down towards the river beneath the branch- and towards each other. Another problem, fantastic. She swallowed, and began to crawl down the branch, not trusting herself to walk down it without falling.

She wasn't quick enough. The turtles collided.

She shut her eyes tight, and opened her mouth to scream, but, somehow, found herself gabbling out the words for the shield spell at high speed, each one merging into it's neighbours. Magic was the same as anything else- something that could be described. All you had to do was describe and direct, give it instructions of what to do, in the language it spoke. What Danielle said, roughly translated, was something akin to: 'Guard, protect, reflect, absorb, strength, me, tree, SHIELD!', in the fragment of a second it took for the turtles to 'snap'.

Considering the two turtles were so tiny, and the sound so small, the explosion certainly wasn't. The two now-empty shells shot up into the air, surrounded by smoke and fire, and then came crashing down, having gained enough force to leave a large crater in the ground. More poor turtles fell into it, crashing into each other and…

It was all Danielle could do to cling on, eyes screwed shut, feeling the heat on her face and skin, and pray her hastily complied list would work. She heard the thud of dozens of smoking shells falling to the ground, and then, a second later, let the shield dissipate. She dared to open her eyes.

But she had forgotten about the ripples. The vision rushed into her mind, and she neither saw nor felt as she tumbled from the branch, still intact only thanks to the last minute inclusion in the shield, and splashed into the river beneath her.

Danielle found herself looking in at the strangest place. She was standing on some sort of suspended walkway. Before her were two large creatures, glowing. A dragon, she thought, and some sort of humanoid. On the ground was an even larger, black mass, another creature. She shivered and turned away, and reeled back in shock. Before her was a group of people. But it looked so much like…

_"This is it!" Amy muttered as the light became unbearable, consuming the two creatures completely. Suddenly, the light expanded outwards in a huge explosion of whiteness, and, after a second of being blinded by the brightness, the spectators were brought back to their senses by a triumphant cry, and their vision cleared to reveal a silvery dragon, hanging magnificently in the sky._

_"No!" Anubis denied. "This cannot be!" He continued to fire his attack at the creature, the shots bigger and more powerful then ever, but to no avail. Every time one came close, a glow would overcome the Dragon, absorbing the attacks._

_"Oh, but it is." Yami disagreed. "We created a new monster, a monster born of our hope and determination! Behold your end Anubis! The Dragon of Fate!"_

_"I will not be defeated!" Anubis screamed blindly. "I am of infinite strength! I cannot be defeated!"_

Danielle looked down. She had noticed the group up here with her, who two of so much resembled Jozan and Amnis, but she hadn't seen the two below. It was too high to see properly, but she thought the man who had spoken looked a little like Yugi. And next to him… She recognised the voice. She recognised it.

_"Then prepare to be proved wrong." Danielle smirked. "Go, our Dragon, do what you were born to do!"_

The sound was fading, the vision slipping away; Danielle tried to grab hold of it, to see what happened, but it was too late. She opened her eyes, and found herself lying uncomfortably on a tree root, a few metres from where the river flowed. She sat up, realising, to her dismay, that she was soaked through. So was Jozan, who sat not far away, looking back towards the river.

"Are you alright?" Yugi asked, concerned, suddenly coming into her line of sight.

"Yeah…" Danielle replied, getting to her feet. "But I got distracted by the turtles, and I couldn't hold the visions back. It was a really weird one, to… It must have been another world, but I was there, and you were there, Yugi, and you, Amnis, and so was…" She pointed at Jozan's back. "We seemed to be summoning a dragon."

"Oh? Pity you can't do that in this world." Jozan commented, her teeth chattering slightly from her cold clothes. "A dragon could be useful…"

"Wait a minute." Danielle said, looking her up and down. "I thought you cleared the river!"

Jozan remained silent.

"Yeah, but she had to go back in and pull you out, didn't she? So we could bring you away from the water." Jonouchi informed her, proudly. He liked seeing people complete honourable acts. And it had saved him from having to explain that he couldn't swim.

"She did?" Danielle blinked, astonished. But Jozan didn't _like _her! "Oh… Thanks…"

Jozan shrugged. "You helped us. It was a lot easier for Seto and Ryou to get past once you'd blown half the turtles up."

Danielle felt vaguely guilty at killing the poor, innocent, explosive turtles. It must have shown on her face, because Az started to explain that it was nature's way of keeping the numbers down, when she was interrupted by Amnis.

"Hey, speaking of Ryou, where is he?"

Jonouchi half-shrugged. "He went off over there somewhere- He only just managed to stay out of range, you know. I think he wanted to compose himself after Danielle nearly blew him up."

"It wasn't my fault…" Danielle tried, weakly, but the four forest-dwellers weren't listening. They were exchanging a mixture of worried and amused looks.

"Oh, dear." Az said, smirking in a way very similar to Seto. "Well, he'll have fun."

"Why?" Danielle asked, wondering if she _really _wanted to know. "What's over there?"

"Mud." Jozan replied, shortly. "Lots and lots of mud."

Ryou, when he returned a few moments later, was a living testament to her words. He was covered from head to toe in sticky, smelly, squelching mud that oozed around his shoulders and began that slow, slow, journey down his body. He'd just met a Mud Fish. Harmless, as Az had said, but rather unpleasant. They liked to inhabit the shallow mud along the edge of river banks, and happily wallow their lives away, sleeping up to 22 hours a day, unless they were disturbed by, say, a Mage treading on it. In an instant, one would let out a high squeal, beyond any hearing but Jozan's and those like her that heard through water, instantly waking the others. Then the entire group would rush for the river, spraying up mud and dirty water in their wake. Ryou had just experienced this for himself.

The rest of the group regarded him in horror.

"What happened?" Danielle asked.

"…I've had an unearthly experience." Ryou answered, quietly, still somewhat in shock at the ground suddenly becoming hundreds of amphibious fish-like creatures beneath his feet. "I don't think this is my day." He commented, looking down at himself.

"…I think we better stay here tonight." Az said, trying not to laugh.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Ryou, now cleaned up, was sleeping near what remained of the fire they had lit, the last embers glowing now, casting the tiniest orange glow onto his white hair. Jonouchi was snoring loudly beside where the cart stood, April tethered to the tree behind him. Jozan and Amnis were asleep to, huddled around each other like children in the gap where a tree spread into two main boughs. A smile tugged at Danielle's lips as she observed them and thought about how disastrous it would be if one of them rolled over in their sleep. Then she pulled her gaze back to the embers, just thinking.

"We should really try and get some sleep." Yugi said, reluctantly. As always, he sat beside her; and although they hadn't spoken much for risk of waking the others, it had been nice.

"Mmm…"

"Especially as you're not a morning person." He teased gently. She glared at him- hers were almost as deadly as Seto's- but he was immunised to them now, and just laughed quietly. A moment later, she joined in.

"I guess that's true…" She smiled. "Yugi…?"

"Yes?"

"You know that vision I had?"

"The one in the river?"

Danielle nodded slowly. "Well… We were there. Together."

Yugi blinked. "So were Amnis and Jozan, right?"

"They were there…" Danielle began, unsure of how to explain. "I was standing on some sort of platform up in the air. Jozan and Amnis were there with some other people, and there were all these monsters; but down on the floor… There was me. I think. It was too far to see, really. But I think it was you and me. Together."

"I'm sorry." Yugi whispered, after a long pause. "I don't understand what you're trying to say…"

"It doesn't matter." Danielle looked away, down at the ground, but he touched her shoulder, turning her back to face him.

"Yes, it does." He said, smiling a little. "Look, I don't really understand about ripples, about what you saw. But it doesn't matter what's going on in another world. We're here, aren't we? And with the rest of the team, we're off to rescue Anzu!"

"Yeah." Danielle replied with a trace of bitterness. "Yeah, we are. I'm going to sleep. Goodnight…" She wandered to the foot of the tree the sisters were inhabiting, and stretched out, using one of the protruding roots as a pillow; leaving Yugi wondering exactly what he had done.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Some way away, far enough to have some privacy, Seto and Az were also talking. Not about anything important. Not about the one thing they were so desperately trying to avoid thinking about. But it couldn't be put off anymore.

"Az… How are you holding up?" Seto asked, hesitantly.

"I'm alright." Az shuddered a little. "But… I didn't know where we were today, didn't sense that rock toad till the last minute, didn't notice Ryou had gone… And my body, to, it's…" She trailed off, raising her hands to look at them. You wouldn't notice from a distance, but the skin tone was beginning to change and fade. "Seto…"

"Are you scared?" He asked, bluntly.

"…Yes." She confessed.

Seto said nothing. He did nothing. There was nothing that could be done, except for him to sit there and wait for her to finish crying; and wish that he could offer some comfort.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Thanks to the episode with the Rock Toad, their journey was taking slightly longer than it was originally thought, and so it wasn't until early evening the next day that the trees began to grow further apart, that it was easier to get the cart through, that the pine needles began to more and more frequently give way to grass and shrubs. They had almost reached the edge of the Scar. Az called for them to stop.

"I think it's time for you guys to get changed."

A few moments later, they were regrouped, assembled in the slightly worn clothes that were the only possessions besides the cart and the props of Tomasu, Risu, and Chiharu Zondervan; Yumi and Kahei Haiaku; Isamu Kudo; and Tenzo Ayako.

Danielle was unused to these clothes, a simple, plain fawn coloured dress, with long, tight sleeves, a high neck, and a long skirt that had red triangular patches on either side, running up to her waistline and connecting the material that made up the front and back. She didn't like it very much. Neither did Jozan and Amnis, who, although not dressed in exactly the same way, had been forced into skirts. In the forest, they just weren't practical- but outside, all women wore them; only men wore the sort of trousers and tunics they were accustomed.

The change didn't make an awful lot of difference to the men. Yugi and Jonouchi certainly weren't dressed as well as normal, but the basic components were the same. Indeed, Seto hadn't bothered changing at all. For Ryou, however, without his robes, he felt almost stripped of his identity as a Mage- the robes were what singled them out. But, on the other hand, he quite liked these clothes. They actually fit him; they weren't too long, which meant he wouldn't fall over them. It was a happy day indeed.

"The trees are going to get thinner and thinner from now on." Az said, when they were all ready. She had come to the ground, the gaps between the trees too large to cover, but remained close to the trunks, in the shadows. She seemed to be more at ease there. "But that doesn't mean it's any less dangerous. You're not out yet."

Of course, they didn't know what she could mean until it was too late.

They were deep in conversation, about whatever came to mind, but letting those from Nrefder and the Scar have a final dress rehearsal of Noxell accents. Amazingly, it was Seto, of all people, who got it the most easily. He had remained silent, leading Jonouchi to tease him about how he 'couldn't do it'. Then, he had opened his mouth, and said in a voice entirely different to his own and entirely convincing:

"Don't speak too soon."

"Man, I wish I could do that." Jozan commented, almost there, but with the last traces of the Scar, and Nrefder- where she had learnt to talk, after all- lingering around the vowels.

Ryou turned out to be a natural just as Seto was, and so to did the others manage. It would have to do. They were almost at the edge. They could see where the last tree stood. Without meaning to, they quickened their pace, until they couldn't walk anymore.

Vines were snaking up their legs, but now they had been spotted, tightened their grip around their ankles. The group screamed as one as the pain caused some of their number to fall to their knees, finding their legs quickly wrapped up in vines, finding themselves unable to move. Only Az had remained free, and she looked on in horror.

"Forget-me-nots!" Jozan yelled.

"What!" Danielle asked her; worried now, because this was one plant even she hadn't heard of.

But Jozan didn't need to explain. They then found out for themselves, as buds squirmed their way out of the vine, and then opened into large blue flowers.

The plant was a carnivore, and the larger it got, the more prey it needed. One this size didn't just want flies, or small rodents. Az, with a sickening twist to her stomach, suddenly realised why they'd had so much trouble finding a horse. The Forget-Me-Not lay waiting, concealing itself in scrubby grass, waiting for it's victim to stumble into it's net. Then, it would truss it up in it's vines, and drag it back towards it's greedy mouth, somewhere down at the roots…

But that wasn't what gave the vine it's name. The blue flowers had a strange aroma, and, for those too close to it- such as in the vines itself- it had a strange effect. They would suddenly be returned to their best memory; and no-one, man or beast, wanted to leave that. They would stop struggling, and would go peacefully.

Az hadn't seen the vines coming. Hadn't know it was there. And now it was too late. She couldn't do anything as she watched the vines smother the others. Already, Amnis had disappeared, and she could only see one of Yugi's hands. No-one was moving, no-one was fighting, resisting. She couldn't even hope they would die quickly, by suffocation- the plant liked them live.

"Az!" Seto yelled, urgently. She whipped around, staring at him. He was still on his feet, but his entire lower body was covered in the fragrant vines, slowly crawling upward. He had his arms held above his head- out of reach, for now. Why hadn't the flowers taken him in to? Why was he still…? "Get my sword!" He shouted. "Hurry!"

Az looked towards the cart. April had panicked, had backed away, but she could see the vines stretching out towards it.

"My sword, Az! Get my sword!"

"But…" She faltered. "I can't! You know I can't!"

He looked at her. "Yes you can."

She ran to the cart, jumped into the back, and put her hand through the pile of discarded robes and props. She knew what she was looking for. A sword, with a swept back golden hilt, a small green gem set in a long, sharp, thin blade. Imasque; the 'Dragon Soul'- the blood-brought sword of the Silent Wind. She found it, but, for a moment, couldn't pick it up.

"Please…" She whispered to it. "I need it to save Seto."

The sword came into her hand this time, and sobbing from fear or relief, she came out and hacked away at the vines that had snuck up over the cart's wheels. It slithered back, writhing in pain. She ran towards the mound that seemed to hold the others. Seto had gone. She could do nothing but continue slicing random vines. But it took too long, and she felt Imasque begin to slide through her grasp. She dropped it, crying out, but then, another hand caught it.

Seto didn't intend to be beaten by any plant. Az had inadvertedly managed to break some of the vines that had dragged him to the ground. He had pulled himself, with difficulty, to his knees, and began methodically cutting away the vines around them.

"Thank you." He said to Az, as he worked. The plant was in pain in a dozen different places, disorientated and confused thanks to Az's work. He made short work of it, and it wasn't long until he managed to free everyone, and they sat on the ground, dazed.

"I was remembering Li'anon." Danielle said, sounding shaken. "I finally remembered my family. My parents… my brother…"

"Swimming in the ocean…" Ryou muttered.

"My sister…" Jonouchi said, slowly.

"Playing hide and seek with Jou and Danielle…" Yugi smiled slightly, but still felt thoroughly spooked that the memory had almost killed him.

"Pretending to be a knight, killing a dragon, saving a princess…" Jozan said, looking upwards in bewilderment.

"Pretending to be a dragon, fighting a knight, kidnapping a princess…" Amnis added, having the same memory as her sister but from a different perspective.

They continued blathering in this train for some time, and there wasn't much Seto could do except store Imasque, ignore his fresh bruises and wait for the after-effects to wear off them.

Az said nothing. Seto didn't push her to.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Shaken, bruised, but otherwise okay, their minds reasserted themselves, and, more cautiously, they continued to travel the last tiny bit of the Scar. Finally, they came to the very last, spaced out line of trees. Az stopped beneath one.

"Well… This is goodbye." She said, but her smile didn't reach her eyes.

"Aren't you coming with us?" Yugi asked, in surprise.

"No…" Az said, sounding rather sad about the fact.

"Oh… I'm sorry to hear that…"

"I'll see you soon Az." Jozan said, warmly. "You watch! Next time you see me, I'll be back a butt-kicking, baddie-beating, dragon-slaying, Princess-rescuing hero!"

"Oh, I'm sure." Az laughed, but, again, she seemed sad.

"Thank you…" Danielle said, slowly. "For all your help. I think we would have died without you."

Az turned away. "I didn't do much good. I didn't see the vines coming. I didn't stop the Rock Toad, or the Turtles- not even the Mud Fish! I wanted to go out a hero, and I failed. Please, don't thank me."

"That's not true!" Danielle protested, but Az just shrugged.

"I guess we'll just have to disagree." She smiled, and gave a little wave. "It's been… interesting. Goodbye everyone."

She turned, and, for a moment, the back of her body was exposed to the sunlight. Immediately, it became semi-solid, translucent, as though it was only half there. And from that back… Danielle gasped and exclaimed in surprise.

There were wings before her, shining in the sun. They were layered and feathered, brilliant white.

Danielle knew those wings. However, before she could say or do anything, before she could even stop being stunned enough to react, Az had run off, already back into the thickness of the trees in the Scar. After only a moment's hesitation, Seto jumped down from where he had been steering the cart, he jumped down and went after her.

He couldn't end it like this. Not like this.

Not without… saying goodbye.

Amnis caught hold of his arm. "Let her go. We'll be back in a few days, you can talk to her then. We have work to do."

Seto stared down at her. She didn't know. None of them did. None of them had realised Az wouldn't be here! Not one of them!

He pulled away, and ran after Az, ignoring the other's protests.

"Didn't I say he'd do whatever the heck he wanted?" Jozan complained. Suddenly, every eye was on her. "Oh… I guess you'll be wanting to know why Az suddenly went ghostly and had wings, right? That's… a bit of a story."

"You _are _posing as a storyteller." Danielle pointed out, sounding just a little threatening. "This is good practise. You can start- and no more slipping out of answering."

"No." Jozan agreed, closing her eyes. "No more avoiding the point. But to tell Az's story, I must tell that of the Scar, and Seto's, and… mine. It's all one. And it all begins with Li'anon, on the day it was attacked… "

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

"No-one saw the attack coming. Sure, we hadn't kept Danniru's skills secret, but it was such a peaceful place… perhaps a little naive to. We didn't know how much some men would do for Magic, how desperate people were…"

_Seto ran, oblivious to the story being told behind him. Az, part of the forest, had already disappeared into it. He searched left and right, looking for her. _

"They came with no provocation, with no explanation… they just came, we didn't even know where from, and started setting fire to the buildings, killing anyone who questioned them, and anyone who didn't. They slaughtered, massacred, butchered their way through… And once they had what they wanted, they didn't want to leave any evidence. Two took Danniru away- although no-one noticed in the confusion, and the rest stayed back to kill those of us left…"

_Slight snuffling sounds were what eventually alerted him to her presence. He looked up, and there she was, almost invisible against the tree. He climbed up to join her on the branch._

"The only thing we could do was run into the Scar. We knew the stories of ghosts and spirits, but the forest had been good to us. It gave us food and shelter, supplies and business… We hoped the rumours would scare them, that they wouldn't follow us… It didn't work."

_"Seto!" She said in surprise, trying to hide the tears. "You… You shouldn't be here!"_

_He snorted. "What do you mean? Of course I should."_

_"But…"_

"They followed us even then, like wolves on the scent of blood. Our inhabitants scattered. They killed us, the plants, the trees… But the forest was good to us yet again. I was running and running, holding onto Amnis as best I could, but my arms were too small, too young… I remember, I tripped over… and then, there was a woman there. She told me to follow her, and she'd keep me safe. I did. That was the day I met Millierie… And her daughter, Az."

_"What about Anzu?"_

_"She can wait another few minutes."_

_They fell silent._

_"You can't save me, you know. Please… don't try."_

"More and more people arrived. Maybe… 17 of us. Mostly children, of varying age. We hid in these little tin huts, overgrown with bracken and brambles- the barracks- and the strange people disappeared. I was crying, and that was when Az came over to me. 'It's alright…' she said, 'My mom's angry now. They'll be in big trouble…'"

_"Az…"_

_"Seto…? Thank you."_

_"What for?"_

_"For…" She shrugged. "For all the good times."_

_Seto nodded. They had been good times._

"We spent the whole day and night in those barracks. In the morning, someone came and showed us back to Li'anon, but… It had gone. There was nothing remaining but an empty shell. It was decided that we would go to the barracks, make a fresh start there, in secret, where no-one could reach us… The forest itself promised us protection. You see, Az isn't a Ghost. She, and those like her, were in the Scar long before we are. They are in the Scar… They are _of _the Scar. They are the Spirits of the Trees themselves."

_"You saved us from those Forget-Me-Nots, you know."_

_"No I didn't."_

_"Yes, you did." Seto fixed her with a firm look. "Az, listen. The plants didn't trap me because I don't _have _any good memories except the ones with _you. _And why would I want memories when you were right there?"_

_She gawped at him._

"That's why we worry so much about the woodcutters. That's why Az started bleeding so suddenly. That's how she speaks to the trees. She is… one of them. One of the trees. And as soon as the axe came to the tree she's connected to, she felt it's pain… She bled for it, she cried for it's fellows felled by the toad… Not all the trees have spirits, of course, but those that do… Well, that's beside the point. You see, I grew up from then on in the Scar, Az was one of my best friends. For the last twelve years, I've… lived there. Worked there. Sometimes we guided people through. The Tree Spirits help us, we help scare woodcutters away, help keep the forest safe. Occasionally, a person passing through the Scar would settle down with us, join our secret village… And Seto… Well, he was one of them."

_"Seto…" She said, uncertainly. He smirked, the closest he could come to a smile._

_"It's true. Don't you get it? Why else would Imasque obey you?"_

_"I didn't think I'd be able to even touch him…"_

"I still remember the day he came to us… It must have been… Oh, five years ago now. We were all twelve. He just wandered into the forest, and walked around aimlessly. Az and I found him, told him we could guide him. His reply made me shiver. He just looked at us with blank, empty eyes… 'Why would I want a guide?'… I felt so embarrassed. I told him 'So you can get where you're trying to go'. He said… He looked away, and he said 'I have nowhere to go. There is nothing for me to go to'."

_"I knew you'd be able to."_

_"Of course you did." She laughed mockingly. "Because you know everything, right?"_

_"No. If I knew everything, I would have been able to save you…"_

_"Seto…"_

"He scared us really badly, but… for some reason, we couldn't tell any of the few people older then us in the village. We didn't mention him. I think the Trees knew, but they never interfere… His words really got to me. I kept thinking that I could relate to that… He kept the routine up for three days. For three days, Az and I followed him around the Scar. He never ate, he never drank… We weren't even sure he slept. One day, we found him collapsed. We revived him, probably saved his life, but… I yelled at him. 'Are you trying to kill yourself!' and he just looked at me with those creepy eyes: 'No, but I'm not trying to live, either'…"

_"You saved me once, do you remember? When I first came to the Scar…"_

_"Yes." Az couldn't help but smile. "Me and Jozan. Yeah, I remember… You were so creepy."_

_Seto chuckled. "I was a lost little boy with no place to go and not a person to love in the world…"_

_"What changed?" _

_"…I did."_

"We doubled our watching of him after that. In fact, we followed him, blatantly this time. We made him eat and drink and sleep. We almost became… friends, I guess, but he seemed to hate us. Yet, even in those days, I think it was obvious that…"

"That what?" Danielle prompted as Jozan trailed off.

"That he would fall in love with her." Jozan smiled, pushing the thoughts of what Seto would do to her if he found out aside. "No need to gasp, Jonouchi; he may be cold, and a little hard to understand, but he can love just as much as anyone else… I think she's the only one who really knows why he came into the Scar that day. I think she's the only one who understands him, who he trusts, who he loves… Unfortunately, it hasn't worked out too well."

_Az swung her legs over the edge of the branch, thinking back, remembering. "That's certainly true…"_

_"I wanted to thank you for that. For helping me change… For the good times."_

_"Is that all?"_

_"I…"_

"You see, the thing is… being of the forest as she is, she interacts only with the forest. Did you not notice that she's never once touched anything but a tree? Beneath the shadow of the forest, you might not be able to see her wings, she may appear solid, but she's not. She's a spirit, just like you saw her in direct sunlight. A spirit that cannot touch anything… anyone… that isn't made of the same stuff she is. She goes straight through it. Through…him."

_"It's okay. I'm sorry. Forget it. It's just… sometimes… it's so hard…"_

_"I know." He replied, shortly. He placed his hand over hers, willing it to stay like it had for Imasque, willing it to feel the warmth of her body, but it was no good. He only felt the wood of the tree beneath them. And although he could look down and see her arm flowing into his, he couldn't feel it._

_"I can't even feel it…" She said, looking down. "I wouldn't even know it was there. I wouldn't even know you were here…"_

_"But I am. I'm here."_

"Seto is a wanderer. Always has been. And he would wander in and out of the Scar, doing… I still don't know what he gets up to! On one occasion, he came back a knight! But he always came back. He always comes back to the Scar. I guess… Well, I guess he finally found something worth coming back for."

_"Thank you." She said again, pulling her arm out of his. "Thank you. But… Seto, you have to go now. Go and rescue the Princess. Stop all this stupid fighting. Stop them from cutting down the trees. And… Remember me, okay?"_

_"How could I forget?" _

_It was time to go. Reluctantly, he began to climb back down the tree._

_"…Goodbye, Az."_

_"Goodbye, Seto. Good luck."_

_He walked from the tree, from the forest, from Az. He rejoined the group, climbed up onto the front of the cart, and together, they headed out of the darkness of the trees and into the bright light of Noxell._

_He did not look back. But he remembered._

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-


	4. Circus

A/N: Hello, I'm back! I just have an extra bit to add to the disclaimer here… The Li'anon Lullaby, while I _wish _I had written it, is actually taken from a book and it's sequel called- **The Book of Dead Days **and **Dark Flight Down**. They are a pair of very good, gothic, fantasy novels and I recommend them to you all! Anyhoo, on we go…

_Finally free from the grip of the forest, the heroes are ready to find the Princess. First, however, they must get through Noxell…_

Part Three- Circus

Noxell wasn't nearly as exotic as Ryou had imagined. In fact, the other side of the Scar looked very much the same as the side they'd entered from. There seemed to be the same plants, the same animals… The buildings were a little different, built primarily from wood and not stone, but that didn't make much of a difference. He supposed that the differences came culturally.

After all, why would two countries so alike fight so much if they were exactly the same?

It was some way from the Scar to the nearest town, but Seto- or Tomasu, as they were now careful to call him, thought they could make it by nightfall. However, they didn't even get that far before they were called upon to perform, by some merchants travelling the other way, hoping to trade in Nrefder.

It was time to perform.

'Tenzo' started them off, juggling first with the balls and tumblers they'd brought with him, and then with anything the merchants cared to throw at him- loaves of bread, hats, even an expensive vase- Yugi, inside the professional exterior, was marvelling at his sudden ability and wondering why he wasn't dropping anything. But he chose to ignore the doubts, and keep the objects spinning around and around, plus all the stunt throws- under his legs or over his shoulder and a dozen other things he hadn't realised he could do. Again, he tried not to think about it, eventually finishing by throwing everything back to it's proper position when they grew tired of him. He went to the background, finally allowing his mind to sigh in relief. The extra practise had done him good.

Of course, he wasn't aware of Ryou and Danielle muttering things like 'Coordination', 'Speed', 'Accuracy', 'Skill', 'Height', 'Balance' and similar useful things behind his back in the secret tongue. It was a blessing that they were both very fluent, and the more words they had, the more they could do with them.

'Isamu' followed up the act with his own. As he had so adequately put it, he 'balanced stuff'- gradually building up to taller, thinner objects, until it became quite unbelievable. He finished with a large stack of the merchant's cups on his chin, another pile on his leg, bent up behind him, and, for some reason, a small, straight piece on metal resting on the back if his finger. It didn't so much as wobble, and, this time, Danielle and Ryou were silent. He disassembled himself, grinning cockily, but the merchants weren't done with him yet.

"Here." One said, holding out a long, thin piece of metal. It was perhaps only a millimetre or so thick, and stood tall, sharpened on three of the sides, the top to an evil point. "This is what we use to settle arguments around here. You put the blunt end on your chin. If it's falls, you get cut; it's as simple as that. Let's see how good you are."

Silence fell. Slowly, the entertainers began to notice just how many members of the party sitting on the grass before them- women and children as well as men- bore scars or other disfigurements on their faces. Parts were missing, like eyes or nose, or half hanging on, or seemed to have slipped down, or had been pushed aside by hideous scars. More then one stomach knotted as they realised just who they were trying to please. Danielle wondered what kind of goods these awful men sold.

"Fine." Jonouchi said easily, confidently, just as a real entertainer would have done. He took the blade.

"_Care…" _Ryou whispered.

"_Confidence…" _Danielle added, so quietly she could hardly hear it herself.

"_Patience."_

_"Balance."_

They continued on in this train, thinking of every word they could to help Jonouchi out of this predicament. And yet, he seemed to be doing fine on his own. As a knight, coordination and balance was necessary, and he was good at it in his own right. He knew that if he could balance everything from a fork to the cups up there, he could do this. It wasn't any different to the other objects. He had to keep reminding himself of that, or he'd freak out and it would come tumbling down. He tipped his head back, placed the metal on his chin, and stood there looking completely unconcerned.

Then, one of the men cheated. Before anyone could stop him, he had leapt forward and pushed Jonouchi so that he stumbled backwards. The blade wobbled, and fell. And yet…

Somehow, he'd managed to move his head so that he caught it between his teeth, without so much as cutting his tongue. The merchants laughed and cheered, pressing a mug of beer into Jonouchi's hand- he seemed to have gained their approval, at least. Reassured by his success, and the fact that the audience had been continuously drinking since they began, Ryou and Danielle went next.

Their routine was relatively simple. They had a decorated box and bag to use, but that was about it. That was really all they needed. It was just a matter of hiding something, yelling a load of gibberish with the real word mixed in their somewhere, putting in some dramatic pauses, arm movements, and general showmanship; and there they had it. But once again, the merchants weren't satisfied with things disappearing and reappearing, multiplying, splitting in two and fitting back together again. Another challenge was set. The men wanted to see 'Real' magic. It was then that they found out what the merchants were traders in.

Animals. Dangerous animals. And, today, it just so happened that they were carrying scorpions.

Three boxes were brought to the front, and the scorpion, a deadly red-black colour with his poisonous tail arching up in anger, placed inside one- although neither of the two knew which. The challenge simply was 'Do something with that'. It was Danielle that took the initiative.

"First," She began, heart pounding, and hoping she could pull this off. "I must prepare the boxes!" She bent down, pretending to examine each one. On the third, Jozan scratched her ear while Amnis simultaneously sneezed. A strange signal, but one she'd understood. She was glad they, who had seen the Scorpion being hidden, had picked up on what she needed. She waved her arms over the box, shouting random gibberish again. The only real words, the only important parts were 'multiply' 'two' and 'conceal'. She moved onto box number two. More gibberish. More arm waving. And the words 'Change' and 'Yellow'. The same with box number three, 'blue', this time. "And now, I'll open them, to reveal…"

She hoped this had worked. She hoped this had worked, she hoped this had worked… Muttering the words for deception and illusion just in case, she opened the first box. The merchants remained unimpressed- the original scorpion was sitting there. It wasn't a big deal. The man in charge of them, wearing large gloves, came and forced it back into it's cage. Quickly, before they thought that was it, Danielle moved on. Box number two opened to show, to her immense relief, a scorpion the same as the first, but a sunny, yellow colour.

There was an uproar in the audience, even some applause, which only increased in volume when she opened a third door to show a blue scorpion. Bewildered, the animal man put them in the cage to. The merchants liked that act. Very much. But still, they weren't satisfied.

And so, it was Seto's turn.

"It should be dark enough now…" He commented on the night that had now fallen. He sounded completely different to his usual self. Danielle had to admit, he acted very well. Seto took a single, flaming torch from the camp and swallowed the flame. Danielle had to control herself very hard not to gasp, remind herself that she had been with them five years, had seen it all before a million times…

Now that he had their attention, Seto's real act begun. Danielle had honestly never seen anything like it. He did tricks with fire and smoke unlike any she'd ever seen, teasing it easily into shapes so intricate she couldn't tell how it was done. She wondered where Seto had learnt to do it- but, like everything else in Seto's past, she would never know. Finally, Seto placed the torch, still burning brightly, having been relit only once since he had swallowed it, back into it's stand and turned to face the men.

"Now, then…" He said, good naturedly. "If you gentleman enjoyed the show, there is a matter of our payment…"

The leader snorted. "We haven't seen everything yet! What do those two do?"

He pointed at Jozan and Amnis.

"These are my sisters." Seto replied, before turning to them. "Why don't you show them what you do?"

Jozan raised an eyebrow. "My stories? Oh, I'm sure these men would not appreciate them, brother…"

Of course, as it so frequently did with people of poor intelligence, this statement caused the men to argue most angrily against it.

"Are you sure?" Jozan checked, riling them up even more. Her voice had changed to, dropping low and silky even as it took on her rough, uneven version of a common Noxell accent. "I can tell stories that will make the very hair on your chests curl… if you have any."

The men howled with laughter at this rather poor joke, and pressed her for a tale. Amnis appeared from behind the cart with a type of four stringed guitar, ready to provide the backing, influence the atmosphere, as Jozan weaved her web of words.

"Alright." Jozan said, getting to her feet. "I shall tell you the story of… the beginning." She paused for dramatic effect, ensuring the light from the fire and torches caught her face in exactly the right places to cast her features into sharp relief, and give her a more ominous look. "A long, long time ago; when the world was not yet so old and the sun was finding everything new, when it had barely begun to shine on the first blades of grass, there stood a single country. It was a land of plenty, that wanted for nothing; where gold was so opulent that was often thrown away because there was nowhere to put it; where words like 'hunger' and 'want' were missing from the language…"

The story continued for some minutes, and Danielle watched, fascinated, at the expression Jozan put into her face as she spoke, and the way she used her hands to emphasize. Amnis' hands worked their way skilfully over the guitar, hitting the right notes at just the right moments to emphasize the mood. Between the two of them, Danielle almost forgot she was sitting around a campfire in the middle of nowhere with some very shady men, and was taken back, back, almost to the beginning of time.

As the story went on, two characters came in; one handsome, intelligent, kind, generous and honest; the other his pole opposite. The tale told of their successes or failures respectively, and, as it developed, told how the families spread, until eventually the country was inhabited half by good, just people; and half by stupid, cruel, malicious people.

Eventually, it came to battle, which ended in the good people chasing the bad ones over the river, and planting a single tree to mark the spot of their victory. The tree became the Scar. The good, light side became Noxell, and the other Nrefder.

Danielle approached this sceptically as Jozan went on to describe the struggles, the recent wars between the two. Just as she had said, originally, the two nations had been one, and divided by civil war. Yet, she knew that if they had been in Nrefder, the 'goodies' and 'baddies' would have been the over way around. It was a simple story, designed to amuse simple minds, but the merchants lapped it up; laughing at the slightest of implied insults to Nrefder.

It wasn't as simple as that.

Ever since, there had been struggles to unite the two countries again- the problem was, would Noxell absorb Nrefder, or the other way around? Neither side was even fighting for dominance now, but merely to keep their independence. Now, this rare peace time was an opportunity for merchants to trade with the other country, for the two nations to grow and become fruitful again. But, if they didn't get Anzu back, this would be the end of it.

At last, Jozan finished. The merchants seemed quite prepared to discuss payment now. However, they wouldn't be as successful in their work as they were without knowing how to drive a hard bargain. And so, they did.

"What do you want?" The leader asked Seto, calmly.

"Food, drink, and a place to sleep." Seto answered, equally calm.

"But we are only poor merchants… we have so _little _food…"

"And we have none." Seto folded his arms. "That is our price- you must pay it."

"Well…" The man glanced over at Jozan and Amnis. "How about if you throw in your sisters?" He winked at Seto. "I'll give you a good price for the pair. It's a big business now, you know. I mean, just the other day, we saw some guys taking a girl to the town just over the hill. Pretty little thing. I bet she'll fetch a lot…"

And it was as simple as that.

Seto stuck to his guns, and managed to get what they wanted _without _selling two of their party, and they slept that night amongst men they were terrified would slit their throats.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

The next day, they came to the town the man had spoken to; and repeated their show again- without the dangerous challenges, this time, and Jozan chose to instead tell a story of two lovers who, due to a curse, could never be together. They were taken to the inn, where they got 'payment'- bed, board, and lots of booze- both for those that partook, and those that pretended to. They had to at least pretend to have no qualms about alcohol. And, once again, someone let slip about men that had hurriedly passed through, with a woman who didn't look too happy about it. Once dawn had broken, they headed out of the valley and towards the next town through open meadows, of crops or wild flowers.

They should have known it was going far too well.

Unbeknownst to them, someone had overheard their enquires in the inn, had stood up, and slipped out the door.

No more did they know the danger that lay before them.

"I must admit," Yugi commented, as they walked along. The day was bright and sunny, the sun the sole relief to a lonely blue sky. "I don't know these outer parts of Noxell too well. But the towns are pretty spaced out here. It could take us as much as two days to get to this town. It could only take two hours. I don't think it's very well organised…"

"I know these parts." Jonouchi said, walking beside him. "You're right- they get closer together, bigger to, as they go in, but out here… That first town was Fleon, the nearest town to the border. We should come to Muwal next."

"How long is it going to take?" Seto asked gruffly, still driving the cart slowly along as the others walked alongside. They'd already been travelling for several hours, since dawn, and it the shadows were drawing ever closer to their midday positions.

Jonouchi shrugged. "You can never be too sure… but I reckon maybe a day and a half, two days…? The journeys will get quicker as we get closer to the centre of Noxell."

"I'm hoping we don't have to go that far." Ryou commented. "I want to find Anzu as soon as possible."

"We all do." Danielle replied, nodding.

"But, on a more important note…" Amnis put in. "I hope we meet someone before we get to the next town. We have no food and I'm hungry already."

Jozan sighed. "When are you _not _hungry? You have a stomach like a bottomless pit…"

Danielle and Yugi looked at each other, and then at Jonouchi, who feigned innocence for a moment, and then gave in, laughing.

"Alright, alright…" He said, placing an arm on Amnis' shoulder. "Girl after my own heart…"

"Well, we could probably eat some of these plants…" Danielle suggested, pointing at the hedgerow, marking the edge of someone's farmland, that they were travelling alongside. "Look! Blackberries! And down there, wild elia and rees nuts! And there…" She trailed off, looking to the side of the edible plant she'd been about to point out. "Oh, no…" She groaned. "It was bad enough in the forest!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jozan demanded, as the others stopped walking.

"Look!" Danielle said frantically. "Look there!" She pointed down at one of the plants growing at the foot of the wild hedge.

The plant she was indicating appeared to be a flower, with a yellow centre; and petals all the colours of the rainbow; each one with two colours on it. Red and green and blue; yellows and oranges and purples… it was beautiful. But as they looked more closely, they saw it wasn't a flower at all, but a toadstool, made up to look like it's less dangerous counterpart.

"Oh, a mushroom!" Amnis said, moving forward slightly. "Can we eat it?" She stretched out an arm to poke it suspiciously, but Danielle pulled her away.

"Don't touch it!" She said, urgently. "You touch that thing in the wrong place, and you're dead!"

"I think I've heard of these…" Ryou said, slowly. "They called it _Funke Yurin _in the old days… I think it means something like 'The colour of death'. The most poisonous mushroom in the world. The top is the part containing the poison, in the yellow part. When an insect lands on it, it's instantly dead. If an animal tries to eat it, the same again. And it can germinate from the seeds, on the underside of the cup, or from the root. It doesn't burn. It can survive underwater. It's almost impossible to kill itself, but has enough poison in it to kill several people without breaking a sweat. It's quite amazing, really."

"Well, you needn't sound so admiring!" Danielle snapped at him, pushing parts of the hedge aside so she could see through. "Oh…" She said, quietly. "Oh. We're in trouble."

"What is it?" Yugi asked, but Danielle turned instead to look at Jonouchi.

"Jou… This Muwal. It doesn't happen to have a large tower in it's centre, does it?" She asked, deceptively calm.

"Um…" He considered. "Now that you mention it, I think it does. If I remember rightly, it's actually the Town Hall… Why do you ask?"

"Oh." Danielle said, checking back through the hedge again. "…Yep. We're screwed." She turned back to face them, jerking her thumb over her shoulder. "Through that hedge there," She explained. "Is a whole plantation. A whole field. And if we're going to get to Muwal, we're going to have to get through it."

"A plantation?" Jonouchi echoed indcredously. "Who would want to grow something like that!"

"The roots are very rare, very valuable." Danielle explained. "They're used to make jewellery and such. The mushrooms may not be rare, but people willing to try and harvest them are."

"It's fine." Seto said, speaking up at last. "You say only the yellow part is poisonous. Then we won't touch the yellow parts. Let's go."

Reluctantly, cautiously, they did. But it wasn't just the toadstools that they had to worry about.

There were men waiting for them. As they got to the centre of the field, the furthest from any escape, they appeared, had been hiding in the hedgerows and trees dotted around. They moved quickly, silently, and before anyone had chance to react, they were surrounded.

"Wow!" Jozan said cheerily as they swung frantically around in circles, finding men on all sides, armed to the teeth with swords or vicious, sharp, axes. There were nine of them, large, muscled and angry. "You were right, Danniru! We really _are _screwed!"

"Yeah…" Danielle agreed. "I don't really think they're here for a friendly chat."

"No, neither do I…"

"Seto!" Amnis yelled. All heads turned to her. Somehow, she had managed to make it into the back of the cart with no-one noticing. From where it had been hidden, she tossed Imasque to Seto, who caught it one handed and smirked evilly at the men before him. Meanwhile, Amnis was still chucking out the weapons at high speed. "Jonouchi! Yugi! Ryou! Danielle!"

Danielle caught the staff, and swung it in front of her as she had been taught in the Scar.

"Looks like our practise may come in handy after all." Danielle commented, as Jozan was tossed her bow and quiver. "Let's hope it pays off…"

They two groups stood, a circle within circle. The strange, vicious men were surrounding them, and the heroes stood in a circle staring back at them. Amnis had joined them now, throwing stars in hand. But still, no-one moved.

"Um… I have a problem…" Jozan confided in Danielle, who looked at her worriedly.

"You mean _besides _the men about to kill us and the deadly fungus all around!"

"Uh… yeah…"

"What do you want from us?" Seto asked of the men, steely, oblivious to the whispered conversation.

"My arrows don't work at close range like this! What do I do!"

"I don't know! I've never been in a fight in my life!"

"Isn't it obvious?" The leader of the strange men smiled back at Seto. "We want your blood."

For a moment longer, things continued to remain still. And then one of the men rushed forward, and within half a second, it had begun.

At first, it was just a melee of crashes and shouts as the two forces collided, in too tight a space to even move very far, let alone get any attacks in. Gradually, though, the combatants spread out, and no-one could take very much notice of what anyone else was doing in favour of trying to stay alive.

Danielle tried to back away from the fighting, so that she could look back and make sense of all this confusion, but it was too late. One of the men, swinging a large axe teasingly at her, followed; evidentially thinking she would be easy prey. She intended to prove him wrong. The cruel weapon swung for her neck, but she ducked, avoiding it; the power of his swing carrying him forward so that he tripped over her, stumbling straight into the mushrooms. He was lucky- he managed to keep his head up, and the poison would not get through his clothing. But in the time it took him to get to his feet, Danielle had gone.

Or so he thought. Something came slamming down on his head with such a force he immediately slipped back down to the ground, out cold. Danielle let her invisibility fade- it was too hard to keep up, and kicked him contemptuously onto his back. She wasn't vindictive enough to let him get his face in the deadly poison. Not yet, anyway.

"Hey, it really _is _the best way to knock people out…" She grinned, twirling the staff in her hands. She ran forward to join back into the fray, heading towards where she saw Jonouchi and Yugi standing back to back, trapped in a triangle of three men. The odds weren't looking good.

But then, Jonouchi swung at the man before him, and Yugi did the same at that precise moment. Two of the men stumbled backwards, bleeding. The two sprang apart, ready for them if they came back for another go. Unfortunately, they'd forgotten the third.

"Look out!" Danielle screamed at them as the man, the largest of the lot, raised a sword above his head, ready to bear down on them. She wanted to help, but she was too far away, too far, no matter how fast she ran she wouldn't… Yugi and Jonouchi whipped round.

"This is how we settle things in Noxell!" The man shouted, but then crumpled, falling forward stiffly as Yugi and Jonouchi leapt to the sides to avoid him as he crashed into the _Funke Yurin. _Ryou was standing behind him, staff still in the air, looking rather surprised at what he'd done. Then he smiled.

"…That's how we settle things in Nrefder." He explained, lowering his staff. There was no more time to talk as the other two came upon them, ready for another round.

Meanwhile, some feet away, Seto was having problems of his own. The other five men, including the leader had descended upon him. They stood all around him, weapons at the ready. Seto glanced around, calculating. If an attack came, there'd be no way to avoid it. The second he moved, he'd be impaled on the other side… Unless he was very, very fast.

Seto happened to think he was.

Smiling, the leader raised his sword with a cry, ready to bring it swinging down and bring Seto's death about- only to find that, now his arms were out of the way, Seto had managed to get him in the stomach. He fell back, a surprised expression on his face. Seto jumped over him, removing his sword as he went. Unfortunately, the others had been ready for this, and one was behind him now, readying for a swing.

Before it so much as touched Seto, he gave a cry of pain, and dropped the sword. An arrow was sticking out of his shoulder.

"Yes!" Jozan exalted, crouching on the ground some feet away, her sister close by, looking over towards where Jonouchi and Yugi were. "You help those guys, I've got Seto's back!"

"Right!" Amnis nodded, getting to her feet to run a little closer. "Hey, Jozan!" She called back, as she ran.

"Yeah?"

"Fifty points for the head, a hundred for an eye!"

"Forty in the shoulder, twenty for the stomach and ten in the back!" Jozan completed, firing another arrow off. It embedded itself into the back of one of the men surrounding Seto. "Better hurry, I'm beating you, 'Nis!"

Amnis ran over to where the others were, the two men, and the four of her companions, stood facing each other. The men had their backs to her. One raised his arms to take a swing at Jonouchi, who brought his blade up, parrying easily. Amnis threw herself through the air, grabbing him around the neck and knocking him off balance. She then pulled her legs up, using him as a springboard as she landed neatly next to her friends and he toppled forwards.

"What did I miss?" She asked, as the man, outraged, came running at her. She booted him in the stomach, and he staggered back, but then tumbled forward, an arrow in his back.

"Jozan!" Amnis yelled angrily. "That was _mine!_"

They could faintly make out her next words. "Sorry! Ten points to me!"

Jozan turned her attention back to Seto. He was doing pretty well on his own. The man she'd put an arrow in the back off was still lying on the ground. He wouldn't be dead, but he wouldn't be waking up for some time, and neither would the one Seto had dispatched. However, the one she'd shot in the shoulder had merely swapped weapon hands and was now chasing Seto along with another man, as Seto lead them on, teasing them, getting more space.

As she watched, the two men leapt together onto Seto, yelling battle cries, but he didn't seem unduly concerned. He threw his sword to the floor, and followed it, perfectly balanced. He was now behind the two, and before they knew what was happening, he had picked up both their swords from the ground and tossed them aside. Now he was the only one that was armed. They looked at him fearfully, and he smirked, embedding the tip of his sword into the ground.

But wait… Jozan narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Hadn't Seto been fighting five men…? She counted mentally. Seto was in hand-to-hand combat with two. Two were on the floor. So where had the fifth got to…?

She swung her head the other way. Amnis, Jonouchi and Yugi were dealing with their final thug. He was proving quite troublesome to them, being very fast, dodging every swing Yugi and Jonouchi took, leaping backwards, constantly out of range. Then he screamed, and dropped his weapon, clutching his face.

"Yeah! A hundred points to me!" Amnis screamed joyfully, but the man was already ignoring the pain and had picked his sword back up. He swung at her angrily.

"'Nis!" Jozan screamed, but she needn't have bothered. Yugi was right there in front of her, blocking the blow. He forced the man off her, kicking him in the stomach as he passed, and he fell back to where Jonouchi was waiting. The two stood apart, holding their swords before them, ready to engage. The two ran at each other, slicing and yelling, the swords moving so fast Jozan couldn't keep track of them. Then she located the man that had run from Seto. Danielle was having fun with him.

As Jozan watched, the man suddenly shot up into the air, flying up into the air and zooming back across the field, crashing painfully and skidding several metres before lying still. It was strangely reminiscent of the Rock Toad. Danielle glanced at him in satisfaction.

"I didn't know you could do that!" Jozan called over to her, impressed.

"No, neither did I! How many points do I get?"

"None! Points are for _achievement_!"

Seto brushed himself down, ignorant of the conversations going on around him, and, indeed, the two unconscious men at his feet. They hadn't been hard to deal with at all. One of them groaned. Seto stamped on his head.

"Be quiet." He commanded irritably. "I'm trying to think." He stamped again for good measure. The man fell silent, and still. "An ambush…" Seto considered, looking around at the carnage he had caused with indifference. Then he shrugged. "Well, at least we know we're going the right way."

Jonouchi, to, was just finishing up. The two men were tired now, weakening; but he wasn't done yet. At last, he got a hit in, to the man's knees, just as with the Guard. The man stumbled, and fell backwards, where he was immediately hit with two staffs, the flat of a sword, and someone's foot just to make really sure he was unconscious.

Seeing it was all over, Jozan lowered her bow, sighing in relief. "Thank goodness…" She whispered, unaware that Danielle's old friend, the man knocked out at the very beginning, was back on his feet and standing right behind her. He placed his sword into it's scabbard, seeing no use in it to dispatch of this nuisance. He hadn't yet noticed that his comrades were taking unexpected naps. He kicked Jozan in the back, and then crouched down, forcing her face into the ground. He knew what these mushrooms were, and he knew exactly what they would do. So did Ryou, the only one who saw what happened as the others busied themselves heaping all the unconscious bodies into one place and tying them up. He knew that if he didn't get there quickly, she would be dead. Ryou began to run, and Amnis, seeing what had happened was only seconds behind him. The man backed off Jozan, smirking, but then saw the fate of the others, and his eyes widened in horror. He began to sneak away, but Ryou wasn't concerned with him. He ran over to where Jozan lay, rolling her over onto her back. Her eyes were closed. Ryou cursed more violently then he thought he knew how. He, to, was unaware as the man came up behind him, silently pulling out his sword again. The man raised it, and, with the determination of a man with nothing to lose, he plunged it maliciously into Ryou's back, and he kept on pushing, and pushing, until he could see the end of his sword protruding. Then, when he was sure the deed was done, he kicked Ryou, sending him toppling forward, and pulled his sword out. He ran.

Amnis saw it all, watching in horror. She screamed, but Ryou didn't make a sound. He fell gracefully, the only sound a slight gasp as the air was forced from his lungs. He fell silently, the only sound a slight thud as his body hit Jozan's. He fell still, and there was no sound at all.

The others whipped around, alerted by the scream, but it was too late. The man had gone, and with him had taken Amnis, grabbing her brutally on the way past to try and shut her up. At least now he wouldn't return to Prysen empty handed… Amnis' travelling companions, however, weren't looking, didn't see. They stared in shock, in horror, at the sight of Ryou, lying face down on the ground. There was a hole in his back. And there was a lot of blood. An awful lot of blood.

Feeling came rushing back to Danielle's limbs, and she ran over, biting her lip in horror as she hauled him off Jozan, laid him so he was the right way up. He was in a bad way, to say the least. He was, undoubtedly, dead.

Or, at least, he should have been.

He was still bleeding. A wound cannot bleed if there is no heartbeat forcing the blood out. She listened, and yes, there it was, the tiniest, most shallow breathing. He was alive. Not for much longer, but he was still alive, for another few heartbeats, at least. The wound, to, was already beginning to congeal and scar up at the edges.

"But… how…?"

And then she saw. The tiniest of white sparks, dancing around the edge of the wound, fighting a losing battle with the crimson. Around Ryou's neck, he wore a small pendant; this much she had noticed before. The realisation hit her then. He knew about spelling inanimate objects! He must have put a healing spell into the pendant! She smiled, but it quickly faded. It wasn't enough. It couldn't handle this. She scoured her mind, trying to remember the word for 'healing', but it wouldn't come; she couldn't remember. Hoping against hope, she grabbed hold of the pendant. She might not know, but it did. She directed all her magic into it, and the sparks, that had been running from it so fleetingly, so randomly, before, began to gain energy, until it was almost a constant stream of white, leaping from the necklace and into the wound.

And yet… It still wasn't enough. The wound was healing slightly, but not enough. The blood kept flowing. There was so much blood. Too much blood…

"I can't do it…" Danielle realised, numbly. "I can't stop the bleeding! It just won't stop! Hang in there, Ryou, hang in there… I'll think of something…"

But she didn't need to. Shakily, his arm rose, and clasped hold of hers. The light increased even more, and, slowly, slowly, the wound closed. Danielle prised her hand away, and closed her eyes, drained, exhausted.

Ryou's eyes, however, flickered open. With difficulty, he struggled to sit up.

"Jozan…" He said, tiredly. "The poison… He poisoned her…"

They looked to the girl, having almost forgotten about her in the face of something that had looked so much worse. She was lying still, her face grey, but she, to, was still alive.

"We have to heal her…" Danielle muttered to Ryou. "Or she'll die… But I'm just so tired…"

"Me to…" Ryou muttered, but, none the less, the two mages managed to stagger over and pump her full of every last bit of magic until no more would come. "There…" Ryou said, approvingly, swaying where he stood. "She won't die… It won't be much fun for her, though…" He sat down, heavily.

Danielle nodded, sagging to. She would have fallen, but Yugi blocked her way. He held her up, but to his amazement, she was asleep. Ryou, to, seemed to be slumbering, his head dangerously close to falling into the toadstools to.

"Um… guys!" Jonouchi yelled. "This is _not _a good place to take a nap!"

Danielle mumbled something no-one could understand.

"I've seen her do this before…" Yugi said, quietly. "It takes a lot out of you, casting that much magic. They must have really given it their all." He smiled. "She'll be fine after a good sleep. I bet she'll snore something awful, though."

"Well, this is just wonderful." Seto said, looking around. "We have three unconscious people, we've lost the squirt, and we're standing in a field full of poisonous mushrooms and men that want to kill us, a good day's travel away from anywhere."

"For once, you have a point." Jonouchi nodded. "We'd better get out of here. I hope you don't weigh too much, Ryou…" He commented, lifting the Mage in question.

Eventually, the three were put into the back of the cart, and Seto, Jonouchi and Yugi began to slowly, carefully, get out of the field.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

_Surely you won't run?_

_When your boat is ready to sail_

_Surely you will stay?_

_And face the gentle rain._

The haunting melody invaded her feverish dreams, of half-formed monsters, in a world where everything was swathed in fog and nothing was clear; except the feelings of fear, the impulse to run, and knowing it was useless… And all the time, the words cut through, haunting, but, in some way, soothing. She knew them. Jozan knew them. She hadn't heard them for a long time, but she knew them well… She began to focus on the words, and even as the dreams began to release her, the song did not, gripping her groggy mind. Yes… It was the lullaby of Li'anon. Her mother used to sing it to her when she was ill, so did all the mothers to their children… but it had gone. It had burnt with Li'anon. No-one had sung it in years… yet, someone was now. It wasn't just part of the memory-muddled dreams, but a real, solid voice, calling her back…

_In the morning you should think you might not last unto the night_

_And in the evening you should think you might not last unto the morn._

The words were found, by many outsiders, to be strange, even disturbing, but for her, they carried a kind of comfort with them. As the last two lines inevitably came, Jozan's eyes finally won the contested struggle to open.

_So dance, my dears, dance_

_Before you take the dark flight down._

She was looking at a ceiling. A real one, not one made of branches; although it was missing in places and through the cracking whitewash she could see the rafters of the roof. And still, someone was singing, beginning again. She didn't know who it was for a second, then recognised Danielle's voice as she struggled to her feet. She moved to the door of the tiny room she was in, and saw her sitting on the grass outside. The Mage hadn't noticed her.

"Surely you won't run? When your boat is ready to sail…"

Then, a more pressing need arose, and Jozan pushed past her, running to a nearby tree and proceeding to vomit all over it. This was the first Danielle had seen of her for almost three days, and she followed; having seen enough sick in her time not to be particularly bothered by it. Oh, the fun they had.

"You'll be doing that for a while." Danielle commented cheerfully, as Jozan stood, doubled over, repeating her earlier routine. "Your body is just rejecting the last of the poison- nothing like a good purging, you know. Once it's over, you'll feel fine. Of course, it won't be very nice in the process, but it should be over in… Oh, I don't know… I mean, I've seen people spew constantly for-"

"Surprisingly," Jozan ground out, taking deep breathes. "That isn't helping!" She continued where she had left off.

"You're very good at it, though. Most people get it all down themselves."

"Danniru-!" Jozan began, only to interrupt herself.

"Sorry." Danielle paused, wincing. "Oh…Urrgh. Yeah, that's nasty. Eww."

Jozan would have glared at her if she hadn't been a little…preoccupied. She vowed to aim at Danielle next time.

At last, the nausea passed, and Jozan slowly straightened up, moving away from the vile smell. She sat down in the grass in front of the hut, resting her pounding head in her hands.

"That song…" She said slowly.

"Oh, you heard me?" Danielle frowned, a little embarrassed. "I remembered it when we were in those vines. I think it must have been a lullaby or something. Still, I guess you might not recognise it… My mom used to sing it, but-"

"Danniru. Please. Be quiet."

"Sorry." Danielle sat down next to her. "I haven't spoken to anyone since this morning."

Jozan lifted her head up, looking around properly for the first time. There was the small, one-roomed hut that she had awoken in, and then a small grassy glade, surrounded by trees. The cart and April stood there, but no-one else. "…Where is everyone?"

"Foraging. Seto, Ryou, Jonouchi and Yugi. They're looking for food and water. I stayed here-"

"You didn't have to stay." Jozan said, harshly.

"To get a fire ready." Danielle completed, looking rather hurt as she indicated the pile of fire wood to their left.

"You didn't have to stay." Jozan repeated, bitterly. "Where are we?"

"In a little wood, not far from the next town. We've had to move rather slowly since you've been ill. You got poisoned during the fight in the toadstools, do you remember?"

Jozan simply nodded. "Why aren't I dead?" She asked, bluntly.

"Well, Ryou and I managed to…" She trailed off, and the two fell silent. "But you cut it close… We didn't know if you were going to wake up."

"…Thank you." Jozan said, eventually. Then, suddenly, something that had been irritating her penetrated her thoughts and she was at last able to identify it. "Wait. You didn't mention Amnis in that list. Where is she?"

Danielle bit her lip.

"Danniru! Where is Amnis!"  
"The men… they took her… We think to the same place as Anzu."

Jozan stared at her for a moment, and then began to laugh.

Of all the reactions Danielle had anticipated, this hadn't been one of them.

"Oh…" Jozan shook her head. "Oh… They kidnapped her? Oh, they're going to regret that…" Then she caught Danielle's quizzical look and her smile broadened. "She's not going to take that lying down. And once she's angry… Oh, this should be good. Still," She sobered up, and stood, stretching. "We'd better mosey on and rescue her, before she kills someone."

"Well, if you're feeling up to it, we can-" Danielle began, only to have Jozan run past her and back to the previously affronted tree to finish what she had begun before. "Wow. I didn't realise you even had that much inside you." She commented, admiringly.

It was just then the others returned.

"Jozan's awake." She explained, unnecessarily.

"It's about time." Seto sniffed, as she stood shakily and turned to face him. "You've held us up a lot, Jozan, and it's your sister that-"

He didn't finish his sentence. Jozan's nausea had just reasserted itself over his boots. "Hmmph." Seto snorted, after a long pause. He had nothing else to say on the subject.

But Danielle did. And the second she had him alone, she would tell him.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

The opportunity came that very night. As they were in completely unfamiliar territory, and still unnerved by the ambush, they were taking it in turns to keep watch; staying up in pairs, with the exception of Jozan, who, they reasoned, needed the rest. This, of course, had resulted in an odd number, but Ryou had volunteered to go alone, while Jonouchi and Yugi went together. That had left Danielle with Seto. Their watch was almost over. Finally, she built up the courage to confront him.

"You didn't have to speak to Jozan like that." She told him. "She's been very ill and wakes up to find her sister gone! Give her a break…"

Seto gave no sign to indicate he'd heard her.

"It wouldn't kill you to be kind to someone, you know." Danielle added. Still, he ignored her, and now she was frustrated. "Why do you have to be so distant all the time, huh! What, are you allergic to friendship? But then, you can't be, because you get on with Az well enough…!"

At last, he turned to face her. He didn't look happy. But still, she didn't stop.

"Did you ever think we might actually understand!" Danielle demanded. "That you're not the only one who's experienced pain! Jozan's lost her home and family, so have I, so have Amnis and Ryou, just like you have! And… and… How do you know that we don't love someone just like you do! You'll never know unless you take the time to find out!"

"Don't talk to me about love." He said, suddenly, bitterly. "Who are you to talk to me about love! Can you even _imagine_ …Imagine loving someone so much you would die to protect them and not being able to touch them!"

"Yes!" She screamed. "Yes, I know exactly what it's like to love someone you can't be with! I know it _exactly_! Because I'm here trying to rescue his flipping fiancée!"

She sat, breathing deeply, as Seto raised an eyebrow at her confession. Just then, Ryou appeared in the doorway to the little shack.

"What's all the commotion?" He asked, blearily. "Is my turn?"

Seto stalked past him and inside, but Danielle hung around for a moment by the waning fire with him, thinking.

"Everything alright?" Ryou asked.

"Yeah…" She answered. "But… do you mind if I talk to you?"

He looked surprised, but shook his head. "Not at all. I'll help if I can…"

"I'm sure you can. You see, there's a spell I've been wanting to ask you about…"

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

They managed to reach Muwal at last just an hour or two after dawn, the following day, although it was hard to tell, as the sky was covered by heavy grey clouds that offered no gaps or relief for the sun to sneak through; it was completely wrapped up inside. The town seemed rather grey to, shops not yet open, market stalls not yet in place at this early hour. It was eerily silent, not another soul to be seen. It seemed almost… scared.

"We need to find where we're heading as soon as we can." Seto instructed quietly, although they still hadn't seen another person as they walked down the empty street; heading always, unerringly, towards the large tower Danielle had seen all those days ago. It was an impressive feat of architecture, the huge stone blocks used to construct it standing out and dwarfing all the wooden buildings gathered around them. It rose high up into the sky, immediately drawing the eye and the town to it's needlessly impressive centrepiece. There was no point to a town hall being built like that, except perhaps to satisfy the whims and wills of a boastful mayor. "We've already been held up too long by all the… problems. We must hurry."

"Just who are you?" An old, creaky voice demanded. It was only by his slight, shuffling movement that they saw him, curled up in the shadows of the tower, back pressed up against the cold stone.

"We're entertainers." Seto recovered quickly from the surprise. "Where is the mayor?"

The man laughed bitterly. "You could say… I am."

"Excuse me?" Seto blinked, politely.

"Well, I'm the only one left, you see." He laughed again. "And a circus is the last thing I need! But I think it's the last thing you _are _as well…"

"But… Where is everyone?" Danielle asked, unsure if what he said could be true.

"Gone! Up and left! This was a nice town…" He looked at her with eyes that begged her to believe him. "It really was. But then the harvest failed in the fields all around… Money got scarce… And the Mayor sold the town hall."

"Who brought it?" Seto demanded urgently, abandoning all pretence now.

The man shrugged. "No-one knows. But they used it to store… things. Evil-sounding things. Weapons that can kill a man from many feet away… things that explode… Everyone got frightened and left. I don't blame 'em. It wasn't just the weapons. People started to disappear, dragged away in the night. And not just people from here, either! The soldiers kept coming through, pulling people right through the town and…" He trailed off.

"And?" Jozan prompted. The man shook his head.

"No!" He said, with sudden resolve. "If I tell you that, you kids are going to go chasing off after it, aren't you? It'd be the last thing you ever did, to!"

"We're not 'kids'." Seto said stonily. "But you're right. We're not a circus either. Do you know who we are?" His voice dropped to a whisper. "I am a knight of Nrefder. The one they call 'The Silent Wind'. And with me, I have another knight, two mages, and the Prince of Noxell." The man gawped at them, but knew from Seto's tone of voice he wasn't making it up. "We need you to finish that sentence." Seto commanded, silkily. "Are you going to argue?"

The man wavered, but then nodded. "Yes, I'm going to argue! I don't care if you're Jack the Giant Slayer, I can't tell you!"

"Please…" Jozan begged him quietly. "They have my sister, and the Princess of Nrefder to. If we don't rescue her, then it'll be bad for everyone. And if we don't find my sister…"

The man bit his lip, and then he sighed, pointing an arm at the road before them. "You just keep heading that way. There's nothing for miles except a cluster of buildings. That's where they take them. And that's all I know; except that it's death to go there! You want my advice? Turn around and go back to being a harmless circus, you'll do better!"

Danielle couldn't help but laugh. This man was blissfully unaware of all the difficulties they had already faced. They walked off down the road, and towards their final destination.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

The clouds, ominous and rapidly turning from grey to black, seemed to echo the sentiments of those hurrying along beneath them, although the affairs of mankind were surely too small and too insignificant for the skies to worry about. Perhaps they to were locked in some kind of struggle, in the palaces and islands of water vapour.

On the ground below, the heroes- if that was the correct term for such a higgledy-piggledy arrangement of potential rescuers- hurried alone. The clouds' actions were not as unimportant to them as theirs were to the clouds, in fact, three of their number kept shooting worried looks upwards, and then around them.

Outside of the town, they had seen what the man had meant. They had been travelling on, after one or two derelict farms, over barren moor land, sparse and flat. They were the only things upon it, except a slight black smudge on the horizon, and the blue winding line of a river. Danielle looked at the smudge, and even from this far away, it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Ryou, she noticed, looked similarly bothered. Somehow, they just knew something bad was contained within those walls. But what they wanted was in there to. They had to go forward. They could never go back.

Yet, whatever else there was on this moor- and there wasn't very much of that either- there wasn't any shelter at all. Which could be bad for the Mages amongst them. Very bad.

"I think it's going to rain…" Danielle said, worriedly.

"We'll have to hope it doesn't." Ryou answered, grimly.

No-one needed to ask for an explanation. With every drop that fell, there would be another ripple. Another vision. Thousands and thousands, all one on top of the other. Normally, they could shelter indoors, in the centre of the building, and sleep through the entire thing, the visions occasionally slipping into their dreams. With the shelter from the thick foliage of the Scar, Jozan was usually fine too, although she also went indoors. But there was none of that here.

As in their worst dreams, the sky creaked and groaned with the first rumble of thunder, as the clouds fought, strained, to hold the downpour back. It was followed only moments later by the flash of light as the doors to the heavens creaked open, and the rain began to fall, in a light drizzle.

"This won't end well." Danielle predicted, drably, already feeling the ghostly pull of futures, of other worlds, running it's fingers over her mind. She pushed it aside, but if it got any heavier, she wouldn't be able to do so.

"There must be somewhere we can go…" Ryou said, looking from side to side in desperation. Even as they spoke, the drops were falling thicker and faster, having already doubled in volume.

Jozan, her hearing now amazingly acute, cocked her head to one side. For a moment, Danielle understood why Seto had referred to it as 'Dog hearing'. "There's… I'm not sure what it is. But there are two men there. One's sleeping, the other is tiptoeing around, trying not to wake him… The echoes make it seem like a large place… Probably some other buildings scattered around to, but it seems fairly abandoned. It's far away, but not as far as that." She pointed back at their original destination, and then over to the West. "If we move quickly and the rain gets no heavier, we might be okay. It's over there… somewhere… Behind that line of trees…"

Seto squinted over, and could indeed see some trees a good mile or two away on the flat ground, although they swam in the mist of rain. Could they make it? It was their only choice… "Can you get us there?" He checked with Jozan.

She nodded. "Yes. I… think."

Danielle may have been more impressed with this display, at last, of what Jozan could do, had she not been fully occupied with trying to keep her mind tethered to this time and place, though it got harder and harder with each drop that fell. The second she succumbed, that was it. Vision after vision would crash upon her unprotected mind. Mages better than her had died that way. She shivered slightly as they followed Jozan, who was scurrying across the moor, occasionally changing her angle slightly, but always roughly towards the forest. However, as the storm worsened, with the thunder screaming and shouting overhead, the water soaking them to the bone, she found it harder and harder; and every time she stopped to reconsider the angle that they entered at, it took a little longer. Yugi noticed she was biting her lip slightly, little gasps of pain escaping. Then, she raised her hands to cover her ears, sobbing slightly.

"Are you alright?" Yugi checked, water dripping from his hair and down his face in streams.

"…You bet." Jozan smiled weakly, dragging her hands away. "It's just… all this noise… ow…"

"Please, Jozan." Ryou asked, tiredly. The strain of fighting the ripples was taking it's toll on him just as much as it was on Danielle. "I don't know how much longer I can stand up to this…"

"Me either…" Danielle admitted, and the second she opened her mouth, the visions came crowding in, fogging her mind. She beat them back, but only just. She had to focus her mind somehow. She forced something else into her head- the only thing she could think of was the Li'anon lullaby. She thought she could hear Jozan whispering it to herself as well, though it was wavering and painful, occasionally interrupted by soft whimpers of pain as her ears took a battering.

They continued on, the rain no longer falling in drops but appearing as a constant waterfall before them. Danielle tried to fight it, but there was no more she could do. She fell, and the last things she was aware of before a thousand visions cascaded into her mind at once was Ryou falling at almost the same moment, and Jozan crying in pain…

Seto cursed, pulling the cart to a halt- no mean task, as April, scared by the thunder and lightning, was going as fast as she could, as Jonouchi and Yugi ran back to the two mages. It was not a pretty sight, as they writhed there on the ground, twitching or crying out as if infected with some deadly poison as they were thrown without relief from one world to another, plummeted from one time to another.

"Seto…" Jozan whispered, uncertainly. She was crouching on the ground, shaking. Seto ignored her. They had more pressing matters. He watched as Yugi and Jonouchi placed the other two into the somewhat limited space in the cart, and mentally cursed again. He had wanted no more hold ups…! He heard a soft sound at his feet, that he could only just make out over the rain. He looked down at Jozan, and even he took a step back in fear or disgust at what he saw.

She, to, had fallen to the ground, and was now curled up in a little ball, there in the mud that the moor had become. She whimpered softly, blood pouring over her fingers as she held them to her ears. The sound was unfamiliar. A person so strong emitting squeaks so soft, so scared, conveying so much pain, was quite unnerving. But they couldn't stay here.

Seto sighed and knelt down next to her. "Jozan. Jozan. Come on. We need you to guide us. I need you to hang on… Jozan? Jozan, can you even hear me?"

She continued to stare blankly through him, tears rolling down her face, hands over her bloody ears. It was fairly obvious she had gone, to where, he did not know; but too far to hear him. Sighing again, he picked her up, just as he had done on the day she'd got herself poisoned- and, noting this was becoming a familiar scene, managed to find room in the cart for her as well. Only, then, it had been Jozan in the real danger, and the other two only temporarily out of the game. This time it was the other way around. Ryou and Danielle could easily die, whereas Jozan would be fine the moment the rain stopped- for the moment, the sheer volume of noise had been too much for her ears.

Still, it was a nuisance. Without Jozan to guide them, finding this supposed shelter would be a lot harder. And, if he was honest- which he would never be- he didn't want Danielle or Ryou to die.

…Not that he liked them. He'd just grown accustomed to their being there.

Yugi and Jonouchi, meanwhile, glanced at each other in surprise. Seto had taken uncharacteristic care moving someone he seemed to hate so much… But then, Yugi supposed, you couldn't know someone for years on end and not at least get to know them _a little_.

"I suppose we ought to just head for the trees," Seto said, having to shout to make himself heard over the rushing wind. "And we should be able to see it from the other side."

Jonouchi shook his head. "Like I said, I know these parts!" He said, with a hint of hesitation. "…I can show you the way." They struck off again, despite Seto's mental doubts about trusting the other knights.

"How _do _you know these parts, Jou?" Yugi asked as they went. He was the Prince, and even he rarely travelled over these moors. Jonouchi had been in the palace, miles away in the centre of Noxell, since he was seven, so how had he come to know this land so well?

Jonouchi took a long time to answer. Eventually, however, he did.

"Because the land we're heading towards…" Still, he hesitated, wondering if he could really admit it. "…Belongs to my father."

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Jonouchi didn't seem to want to say anymore, so, for now, they left it at that. As it happened, they had bigger problems. Ryou and Danielle were in deep trouble. Maybe Jozan to, although her life didn't hang in the balance. They thought, at least. However, Jozan proved this herself just a short while later, as the trees loomed just ahead.

"Seto! Stop!" Yugi called, having heard rustlings, movement, in the back of the cart. A moment later, Jozan hopped down, looking a little zoned out, and dirty, with dried blood on her hands and side of her face, but otherwise okay. "Jozan… Welcome back!"

She blinked at him in confusion.

"Hey!" Jonouchi smirked at her expression. "You in there, Jozie!"

Her expression changed suddenly, moving through a swift progression. First, the confusion deepened, then she stared in disbelief, before biting her lip slightly.

"You okay?" Yugi checked. Seto, having not even turned around, spoke up.

"That doesn't matter now! Every minute out in this storm brings the other two closer to death! I might not care, but, if _you _do, Jozan, you'd better take the lead again."

Seto didn't like rain.

Jozan didn't answer. In fact, she gave no sign of having heard.

In fact, it almost seemed as though…

"I don't think she can hear you." Yugi said, slowly, quietly. "I don't think she can hear _anything_…"

"What!" Jonouchi yelled.

"It must be the storm. If she's hearing all that so loudly, it's no wonder her ears couldn't hold up for long… I think she's deaf."

Seto gripped the reigns slightly harder then necessary, though no-one saw it. "I couldn't care less right now!" he snapped. The other two stared, appalled at the harshness of his words. "As long she can walk, let's go. If not, get her back in the cart, and let's go."

"Yeah?" Jonouchi said, scathingly. "Well, tell me this, then- how are we supposed to tell her that? She can't hear us. She can't lip-read. She grew up in a forest, so you can bet she can't read. What do you suggest we do?"

"We walk." Seto replied, evenly, brushing the wet hair dripping into his eyes aside. With that, he started April off again, at high speed, so that the others struggled and stumbled to keep up. Jozan ran along with them. She may have been crying silently, but there was already so much water running down their faces they were unable to tell.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Jonouchi wasn't happy. Not even slightly.

For a start, he was soaked to the bone. Utterly drenched. His clothes sucked on his body like a limpet, like an extra layer of skin; that he, like a snake, desperately wanted to shed. His hair hung floppily around his face, and kept falling in his eyes and blocking his vision. It was cold and uncomfortable, impossible to see even a few metres ahead, and that alone was enough to put anyone in a bad mood.

Then there was the fact that this entire mission, that had started so routinely- Go on a quest, rescue a Princess, and be home in time for tea and medals- had gone so far out of control. No matter how Seto behaved, Jonouchi cared that his friends were hurt, or in danger. Jozan had become, in a matter of moments, totally deaf; and she had got off lightly in comparison to the other two. They could, quite possibly, collapse under the pressure of all these contesting visions in their minds and simply shut down, never come back. And Seto's callous, careless attitude wasn't helping.

Needless to say, Seto was a third, and possibly largest, annoyance. Jonouchi begrudgingly admitted that he was good at his job- he had, after all, managed to deal with the forget-me-nots, not to mention the six men he took down in the mushrooms- but this, to him, made the 'Silent Wind' even more insufferable. Jonouchi couldn't, hard as he tried, believe Jozan's story about him loving Az- he was sure Seto's heart had been torn out and replaced with a stone. Although, of course, being with Az would explain where he had disappeared to all the time in the Scar…

The fourth part of his irritation was a mutation of nerves at where they were headed. He fingered the key around his neck. He had swore to go back one day, but now it came down to it…

He sighed. _I'll see you soon, Dad…_

They passed through the line of trees that they'd hardly been able to see in the rain. On the other side lay villages and farms; the buildings abandoned and falling down, the farms indistinguishable from one another as weeds and grasses grew where they wanted, irrespective of borders. If Muwal had been a ghost town, this was a graveyard. Jonouchi looked around at it in horror. Was this it? Was this all that remained of them, their clan, their family…? He felt eyes on him. He turned and saw, lurking in the darkness of one of the shacks, it's roof all but gone, a woman looking at him in suspicion, her face pinched and unnaturally thin. The baby in her arms began to whimper as she withdrew into the remainder of the building. They didn't see anyone else, and Jonouchi was almost glad of it.

"I said, where do we go?" Seto repeated, irritably, snapping him out of his musings. Jonouchi blinked at him. _He _wouldn't be here himself if it wasn't for the sake of his friends! And yet, Seto did nothing but repeat the question for a third time.

"I guess…" Jonouchi said, slowly. "We head to the only building in this place that still has a roof on it." And he pointed, towards the edge of the cluster of dilapidated cottages, where a single, large home stood, iron gates standing austerely, barring a luscious garden of healthy grasses and bushes and flowers from the poverty outside. The house was in such a good state, it looked almost new. It hadn't changed since Jonouchi had left it nine years ago.

It had been raining then, to.

Jonouchi pulled the key from the thread around his neck, and put it into the lock on the gate. It was time.

He twisted it, and, with a creak, a warning, it opened; and they walked over the threshold.

"What now?" Yugi prompted, as Jonouchi stood, staring at the house. He desperately wanted to know exactly what had happened to his friend in this place, but didn't want to pry. So, instead, he focused on the task at hand.

"We'd better-"

"You'll find no shelter here." A weary, bitter voice called out to them, and they turned. All except Jozan, who wasn't aware anyone had spoken until the others looked away. "Leave this accursed place."

Jonouchi turned, and saw the old man standing in the doorway, watching them. A lump rose in his throat. He swallowed, and took a step forward. The man's eyes had never been excellent.

"Jacob…"

The man blinked at him, and then, slowly, recognised him. "Jonouchi! You're alive after all! After all these years!" He squinted at the cart. "A circus! Is this the fate that has befallen you!"

"Um… Not exactly…" Jonouchi smiled a little sheepishly, as the man embraced him. "But… um… I'm in a spot of trouble, I'm afraid."

"I wouldn't expect anything less." Jacob answered, wryly, gesturing at them to come in. He appeared a little surprised when the cart spat out two feverish Mages, but decided not to ask, instead calling inside. "…Celia? We're going to need more bedding! Immediately!"

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The room was still, except for Danielle occasionally rolling over in her sleep. But, now they were indoors and protected by the walls, she seemed reasonably peaceful. Ryou, to, was sleeping through the rest of the storm, their minds refusing to let them wake up while they were still at risk. Jozan had her knees pulled up close to her, her head resting on them. She was staring at a wall with interest, although she didn't seem to be seeing it. She was probably deep in thought in her strange, new, silent world, oblivious to the conversation as Yugi pondered aloud.

"Noxell is divided just as Nrefder is, with land given to knights and their families that only have to answer to the King. Of course, it's only passed down the line if the son is worthy of receiving it, but no-one's been rejected yet… I suppose this must be one of the jurisdictions. I didn't realise Jonouchi came from such a family. As far as I knew, he'd come to the Palace when we were seven, off the streets. He became a squire, and, eventually, a knight… but all this time, I'd assumed his parents were dead." He sounded vaguely guilty. "I wonder what caused him to leave? And what made the land turn out this way? It's so… abandoned, so ruined. Perhaps-"

"I envy her." Seto said suddenly from the other side of the room, nodding at Jozan. "At least she doesn't have to listen to your blather." He shut his eyes, settling back against the wall. This seemed to be the way he always slept, as far as Yugi knew. He had never seen him lying down. He wondered if it was paranoia of being attacked, where he'd need to be on his feet quickly, or if he actually was more comfortable that way. "Who knows how long that fool's going to be? I suggest we sleep while we have the chance…"

The fool he was referring to, of course, was Jonouchi; who had slipped away with the old man and woman that seemed to be the only servants- and only inhabitants- of this strange, empty house.

"I'd like to see my sister." Jonouchi said, the instant they were alone. They had found bedding for the others, and a room; everyone had bathed and had a change of dry clothes. And now, at last, he could ask to see Shizuka. It had been a long time.

He had been seven when he left, she had been five. She'd be fifteen now. He should have come home sooner, much, much sooner.

"Wouldn't we all?" Jacob sighed sadly. "She awaited your return for years, but once she turned fourteen, she could wait no longer. She left, just like everyone else with any sense, before she starved. Your father is here, but… I think it would perhaps be best if you didn't speak to him. He is…indisposed."

Jonouchi snorted. "He actually noticed I'd gone? I'm impressed."

Jacob said nothing.

For as far back as Jonouchi could remember, things had been like this. He and Shizuka had been raised by Jacob and his wife, while his father had gradually wasted away under the influence of alcohol. Unable to make sensible decisions, and putting taxes unreasonably high, the land under his control, once so proud, had begun to fall into ruin. At seven, Jonouchi had been able to stand it, unable to stand his father's violence, and the fact there was never anything to eat. He had more to eat even in those first few months, when he slept on the streets and spent the day stealing food and whatever else he could grab. He had promised Shizuka he would come back, with a new home to whisk her away to, away from him. But the path of his life had not lead that way, and here he was, back where he had started; with the land in wreak and ruin, it's citizens long having abandoned the ever sinking ship.

"The doctors say there's no point even trying to stop the drinking now." Celia commented quietly. "He's dying, almost dead. And he's quite mad. He keeps ranting about your mother, talking to her- he believes he sees her ghost, and it torments him. He keeps speaking of leaving this place, to get away from her…" She looked at him, almost hopefully.

"You are the rightful heir to this territory." Jacob reminded Jonouchi gently. "Like it or not, once he's gone, it's yours. You could say it belongs to the King, that such a small area is insignificant, but it's your responsibility. You can leave it like this… or you can make something of it."

Jonouchi smiled grimly. "That's talk for another day. I am a knight of Noxell, and at the moment… I'm working. I need to sleep. It's been a hard journey and we'll be heading off again in the morning."

"Won't you stay just a little longer?" Celia asked, sadly. She had been unable to have children of her own, and when the children's mother had died when they were so young… she felt as if they were her own.

"I can't. But don't worry. I'll be back soon, to take what's mine. I promise."

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Danielle remembered walking with the others in the storm, rain so thick she could hardly see the others in front of her. After that, there was just… chaos. Flashes of futures, moving so fast that the mind couldn't track them and they became a blur. The sickening, lurching sensation of high-speed outer- dimensional projection; barely having time to become established in one before being flung into the next or being dragged back to her own. Her mind was buckling with the strain of trying to cope, and just as she was sure it would explode, it settled down; and she drifted into a deep sleep, with occasional visions rippling and bubbling up into her dreams.

Outside, the storm raged through the whole night, screaming and crying in anger at being ignored, sending barrages of rain up against the house, the wind howling around the rooves looking for a way in. By the morning, it had retreated, and although the ground was treacherous and muddy, the sky was clear. First, however, there was one issue to be resolved.

Danielle yawned, sitting up. "Oh, that was a good sleep…" She mumbled appreciatively. Ryou emitted a kind of agreeing grunt.

"Alright for some." Yugi commented, although he smiled. "We were kept up all night by the storm!"

"Jozan seemed to manage alright…" Danielle commented, as the girl roused herself. Yugi's face fell, and, slowly, he explained.

Danielle and Ryou looked at Jozan, and then at each other.

"Oh, we can fix that in a jiffy." Ryou dismissed, going to kneel at her right side. Danielle nodded, going to the left. Jozan looked between them, nervously.

"Still… This is the part of the job I hate…" Danielle commented. "On three. One… Two… Three!" She cried, following it immediately with the word for 'hearing', Ryou echoing it.

She and Ryou both jabbed their fingers into her ears.

"Ow!" Jozan protested, falling backwards in surprise, rubbing her insulted ears. "What was that for!"

And then she realised.

"Sorry." Danielle apologised. That's the only way to direct the spell to the right place…"

Jozan grinned. "I forgive you. And I tell you what, I have _never _been so glad to hear your verbal rubbish!"

"Charming."

And that was that.

It was time for them to move out. They left the cart, and April behind. There was no use in their disguises anymore. They left Jonouchi's home dressed in their own clothes, and with their own weapons strapped on at hips or over their backs. They had work to do.

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	5. Pirates

_Finding the Princess was an arduous task, but, at last, the heroes are ready to go and rescue her; and the ill-fated Amnis. However, there are still further difficulties to face… _

Part Four- Pirates

"Where should I put it?" The man that had taken her asked at the gate.

Amnis remained silent- not much else she could do whilst gagged- but she glared very hard. She didn't appreciate being called an 'it'.

The guard shrugged. "Shove it in the factory, with the rest. I'll give you thirty bit for your trouble. "

"Thirty!" He exclaimed. "Do you have _any idea _how hard I had to struggle for this!"

"It's a young girl. Who'd pay full price for that?"

Amnis was beginning to get angry now. Not that she hadn't been permanently angry ever since she had been captured.

"But still… thirty? Man, I have a wife and kids to feed!"

The man on the gate snorted. "Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it. You're no more married then I am."

"Okay, you got me…" He sighed, and the two laughed like old friends. "Seriously, though… This one's on _request _from Prysen…"

"Pull the other one."

"I mean it! She was with the Prince and the rest!"

"You kill 'em?"

This time, he snorted. "You kidding? I was the only one who got away! 'Course, I got two of them first, but…"

Amnis' anger grew. Ryou. Jozan…

The other man looked astounded. "They're dead?"

"Nah, they don't have it in 'em. But, last I saw, they were bound and gagged in a field of poisonous mushrooms. I reckon this lot's gonna be tricky. That's why I brought this 'un back. And why you should give me more then thirty…"

The man on the door sighed theatrically. "It's too late now. But I tell you what- you can present it to Prysen in the morning, and we'll negotiate your pay then. Just put her in the factory for now."

And Amnis didn't like the sound of that one bit.

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The work was silent and repetitive. All through that night, Amnis walked back and forth, endlessly, without release or rest or respite. She went from a huge tube, walked about a metre backwards to a large crate. She would then take one on the items from the crate, and drop it into the tube, at which point, it would fall down, far into darkness beyond the reach of her sight. Not that she could dither long enough to watch it fall. She learnt very quickly that stopping or slowing, even for a second, could be dangerous here.

Yes, she was scared. But she was angry to.

Jozan had always told her off when she lost her temper. She'd always said that getting angry was often more trouble then it was worth. For once, in this one situation, Amnis agreed. So she contained her anger until such a time it was less likely to get her killed, focusing instead on the objects she was hefting across the room over and over again. At first, she hadn't been able to place them. They were hollow, ovular items made out of something hard, but softer then any other stone she'd come across. It was a dirty, reddish-brown colour that was already rubbing off on her skin, staining it, leaving it's mark. The things were patterned to, and she knew she had seen it before; she remembered seeing it from above.

From above. She had been in a tree at the time, that was it.

_This_, she suddenly realised, looking down at the item in her hands. _Is the shell of a Snapping Turtle._

She had stopped while she had been considering. Brutally, one of the guards beat her, kicked her to the floor. The shell skittered away. Then, he finally backed off; and the only thing Amnis could do was to get back to her feet, grab the shell, and carry on with the work with as much dignity as possible.

As her body worked furiously, so to did her mind. What could this 'Prysen' possibly want with all the shells of Snapping Turtles, which occasionally bumped into each other in their descent and caused an explosion? And if they were still exploding, did that mean they hadn't already? Did the shell have more then one 'snap' in it, or had these shells been torn off the poor things…? It made her stomach curl even more considering it. The turtles were good natured, friendly creatures that happened to explode when they knocked into things. She thought they were fairly cool. And yet, it seemed this man was taking their shells for his own uses, and taking all these men, women and children to do his dirty work.

She was angry. Very angry. She fingered her shuriken wistfully as she headed back to reload on Turtles, but thought better of it- she didn't want them noticed, confiscated. Besides, violence really _wasn't _going to help this time, unlike everything else in her recent experience. Tomorrow, she would get close to this Prysen fellow. And, if she was him, she would keep someone like the Princess really close. Assuming he was at least as smart as her, the way to find Anzu would be through him. Maybe Seto wouldn't tease her as much about being kidnapped if she managed to rescue the Princess, and bust out of here, solo.

The rage inside her was beginning to fade from the hot fury that had been making her hands shake to a cold, cool anger. She would get out of here, with the Princess, and put a stop to this… evil. She would.

As Jozan always said- Make the best of a bad situation.

She shook any and all thoughts of her sister away. She was probably dead by now anyway, poisoned. Ryou to. Who knew about the others? Maybe she was the only one left. She _had _to find Anzu tomorrow. She had to.

But, in the meantime, she pushed her weary body back and forth again and again, letting the anger simmer inside her. She could not let it go, or she would not be able to do what she had to. All around her, the men, women and children forced into this slavery night after night carried out their tasks vacantly, their souls sucked out in the filthy air around them. She needed the anger, so she did not become like them.

Amnis continued this for hours, and hours; time that she lost track of, dashing back and forth in the dark, terrified of more hits if she wasn't fast enough. She lost track of time, and of everything she was doing. Her mind was unable to cope, shutting itself off from the pain and fatigue. Even after just one night, she was beginning to forget the outside…

No. No, she couldn't do that. She had to stick it out, get the Princess, and leave this place far behind. She couldn't just let her mind skip away to that far away, safe place. She forced it to stay in a more painful reality. Forced it to retain something of her. All she could think to do was to sing to herself, inside her head, again and again; the lullaby of Li'anon. To remember her mother or Jozan singing it to her when she was small. To remember where she had come from, and, in that, where she was headed.

It was dawn before anyone spoke to her.

They were changing the slave shifts. The day workers were shuffling in, as those who had been forced to become nocturnal crawled to the shack they were all locked up into; where they would sleep where they fell until it was their time again.

But Amnis never made it that far. A man, her old friend who had brought her here, roughly grabbed her arm. Before she knew it, she was before Prysen. He looked rather intimidating, as did the servants half-lurking in the shadows. But she couldn't let him see that. She knew that this house she'd found herself in must be his personal space. It would be the house that Anzu was in, she was sure of it. So she had to make him think she was important enough to keep a closer eye on, to. The way to do that, she figured, was to have as much attitude as possible. Well, she'd known Seto most of her life, and Jozan could be sarcastic when she wanted to be- together with the anger, nowhere near dormant, within her, she was sure she could pull it off.

"Yo," She said, as soon as she was taken in. "I'm guessing you're the child-snatching git?"

The solider who wanted money from her slapped her viciously, telling her to be quiet, but before her could do anything worse, Prysen waved a hand to get him to back off.

"Is that what you think I am, child?"

"Well, I'm a child, and I'm here, so… yeah." She finally decided to kneel down, looking him right in the eye- the one that could see her. "Why, aren't you?"

"No, you're perfectly correct. I am a… 'child-snatcher', as you would say." He shrugged, and then, suddenly, he lunged across the table and pulled her head towards him by the hair. "But that's not all I am. I am a liar, and a cheat, and a murderer. I'm also very impatient. So watch what you say."

"I can't _watch _it, idiot, we speak with sounds." Amnis spat out. He laughed dangerously and released her.

"I see we're going to have fun with you. But you'll quickly learn." He considered her. "I see you've been in the factory. Tell me, what do you think?"

"I think it's way too big, what with all those slaves, to go unnoticed much longer."

"Ah, but you see…" Prysen shifted his weight a little. "I don't need very much longer… The Princess is missing, and Noxell will be found responsible. And once Noxell's Prince is dead…"

Amnis smirked. "Y'think those thugs of yours were enough to stop us? You thought wrong."

Prysen looked at her levelly. "I didn't think that at all. I was referring to when those companions of yours turn up here. We'll be ready for them. And then we'll kill them."

"Like to see you try. We can be rather stubborn." Amnis snorted.

"As you wish." Prysen shrugged. "You can be the last to die. You can watch us dispose of the others first. Two have already been dispatched, I believe…"

Amnis looked at the floor.

"That's right…" He considered, dreamily. "It was some relation of yours, wasn't it? Well, aren't you bent on revenge now? Why not try attacking me? See what happens. Then perhaps you'll be more… cooperative."

Amnis spat rudely onto the floor. "I said, I'm stubborn. I would _never _help you."

"We'll see." Prysen smiled nastily before stretching and yawning theatrically. "It is far too early for this sort of thing." He whistled, and one of the girls came over. "Explain how things work here. I want her in the house. Oh, and pay this nice man. In full."

Amnis was dragged away, and monotonously told that she was to do whatever needed to be done, and if nothing needed to be done, she was to either find something or do it again. She was to do whatever she was told. And she was not to speak.

"You obey this rubbish!" She demanded hotly of the girl. "He can't kill us all, surely! Why don't you do something!"

But the woman walked away, silent now her job was done.

All that day, Amnis was forced to work. Any of Prysen's men passing through the house would attack her if she was idling- or sometimes just for fun. But, despite how tired she was, Amnis was busy- she was exploring the house, getting it all mapped out in her head, and looking for the Princess, who she could only assume was one of the women here in the house with her.

The only problem was, she'd never seen so much as a picture of Anzu before, and so, when she lay down, exhausted and in pain from the many beatings she'd received, she had not made an iota of progress. There were six other girls being held in the house, of varying ages. There was also a woman called 'Jin', who ordered them around, but Amnis didn't know if she was a captive or not. No-one would speak to her. No-one was ready to stand and fight this man, in case they were killed. But Amnis had seen so much death in her short life already, although she could hardly remember. She had no intention of dying if she could possibly avoid it; but she was fully intending to at least _try _to get out of here. This wasn't living.

As the night grew dark and close around her, despair began to set in. The impossibility of her task seemed to become more and more illuminated. She was a prisoner here, worse, a possibly expendable prisoner, all alone, and she couldn't even attempt an undoubtedly futile attempt at escape without the Princess, who she couldn't recognise. And even if she _did _manage it, where would she go? Back to the Scar? What would she do for the rest of her life…?

And then, hope lit up in the dark. The girl lying next to her, whispered, so quietly it could barely be heard:

"You're not afraid of them."

Amnis gasped. Someone else willing to go against orders. "No."

"Who are you?"

She had to tell her. She had to tell someone that she had a name. "I'm Amnis. And I'm here for the Princess."

There was a long pause.

"I _am_ the Princess. Are you willing to fight him?"

"Yes." Amnis said, simply.

"Good."

And then, the room fell into silence again.

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"There's no way we're going to get in there unnoticed." Jonouchi scowled. "The only way you could get in would be from the sky, 'cause the rest is impossible!"

Indeed, the complex- for that's what it was- seemed to have security with no expense spared. It was in a good location for something to be hidden away, out here in the middle of nowhere, in a valley, so that sometimes it could hardly be seen when heading towards it. The smudge they had seen earlier had actually turned out to be an abandoned farm, so it had taken Danielle and a location spell she was rather fond of to even find the thing. Nestled together were three buildings- a large, sinister building with huge, smoking chimneys that appeared to be some sort of factory, a shed like the one that a large farm would keep cattle in, and the house itself, which stood impressively a little apart from the other buildings, on the opposite side of a stream. There was no way they could get down into the valley without being unnoticed.

Or so they thought. But, as always, Seto saw what the others missed.

"The river."

"What about it?" Jonouchi asked.

Seto rolled his eyes. "It has to flow in from somewhere. It has to flow out towards the sea somewhere."

"So?"  
"Jou…" Yugi shook his head. "He means that if the river can get in, we should be able to as well. Um, in theory."

"Nope." Danielle shook her head to, pointing towards the edge of the complex. "Check it out. They've got huge great gates- the water's flowing in through the holes. This whole place must be in the river valley. I guess that when you're smart enough to kidnap the most closely-guarded princess in the world, you're too smart to leave an entrance like that open…"  
"But it _does _open!" Ryou protested. "Look at the mechanism on the gate- it's not just to keep it there, it's to pull it back. He must bring supplies in by boat."

"Excellent! So we just wait till a boat goes in and swim in after it." Jonouchi grinned. "…Oh. Wait. I can't swim." He shrugged sheepishly.

"What better time to learn?" Seto snarled. He himself had learnt in the Scar, amongst the mudfish and the snapping turtles. Needless to say, it wasn't his favourite pastime.

"I…"

"It's no use." Ryou interrupted, pointing again down at the river. "Look at the colour of the water."

"Don't worry about it." Jozan shrugged at the dirty water. "There's this kind of pinecone in the Scar, and if you rub it the right way, it'll clean anything out."

"I've heard of that." Danielle nodded. "But if you rub it the wrong way-"

"That wasn't what I meant." Ryou said, slightly impatiently. "I mean, it gets shallower as it goes along. And the level of the water keeps changing, which to me suggests he has spikes or something equally lovely in there. And piranhas- the whole set up screams 'piranha habitat'… Apparently, he likes pets."

They all blinked at him, but it didn't seem like a good time to try and find out how he knew so much about the river just from looking at it.

"Then…" Danielle said, slowly. "I guess it's back to being in disguise. We need to pretend to be delivering something and get in like that."

"What do we deliver?" Jonouchi asked.

"Where do we get a boat?" Yugi wondered.

"Oh…" Danielle smiled sheepishly. "Well… Do I have to think of _everything_!"

"Nope." Jozan put in. "I can get us a boat. Some friends of mine are due into port any day now. All we have to do is get there. Ryou, you seem to be the water expert- which way's downstream?"

He looked at the river again, and pointed. "That way to the sea!"

And, with lack of any better ideas, they headed off. Danielle decided to find out just who they were going to meet.

"So, these friends of yours. Fishermen?"

"Eh…" Jozan looked a little awkward. "Something like that."

"Jozan…" Danielle said, warningly. "Who are they?"

"Well, they're… kinda… they're pirates."

"Pirates!" Danielle yelped. "Are you crazy! Why would they help us! They're blood thirsty cut-throat dishonest backstabbing cold-blooded-"

"Ah, not these ones." Jozan winked. "You see… They're not very _good _pirates. They were chucked off the ship for that very reason. The thing is, they refuse to lie. Or cheat. Or steal. Or kill. Or eat meat."

Danielle looked at her indcredously. "So, you're saying they are honest, trustworthy, pacifist, vegetarian pirates."

"Um… Yeah. Pretty much. If I can remember the date correctly- and I haven't seen a calendar for seven years- they should be passing here in the morning. Let's just hope we reach the coast before then."

"We will." Ryou assured her. "You'd be surprised how far west we are- we'll be there by tonight. If we go back in a straight line to Nrefder after this, we won't even hit the Scar."

"Okay, I give up!" Danielle declared, throwing her arms up in the air to emphasize the point. "How _do _you know so much about the sea!"

"I was born in a little coastal town in Nrefder." Ryou smiled. "My family were fishermen, had been for generations- so, you see why I wanted that for our disguise- and I would have been to, had my powers not shown up on my fifth birthday. No-one from our village ever had magic. It was quite an occasion."

"It was the same in ours." Jozan muttered, darkly.

"Unfortunately," Ryou continued regardless. "I was unable to enjoy the celebrations. Of course, the Ripples were now affecting me, so every time a wave broke on the shore… I had to pack up and head for the academy right away. But while we're on the subject, how are we supposed to sail across the ocean and downstream?"

"He has a point." Danielle realised. "You saw what the storm did to us! This will be far worse! We could… you know. Die."

Jozan smirked. It was a scary look. "Not me. Ripples haven't been affecting me since I briefly went deaf." That much was true. Her hearing had been excellent before, but now, everyone had grown accustomed to the fact that they would have to almost shout to be heard.

"That doesn't help Ryou and I!"

Jozan looked at her. "Then you'll just have to trust us not to let that happen."  
Danielle said nothing. It was all too clear how much she trusted that. But they didn't have a choice.

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The land was ruled by man. Man trampled the land, forced it to bend to their will, to provide them with food and income and lives; and then did not take any care of it at all. Man had conquered every corner of the land, there was no space without them even at the furthest corners of the world; and now even the sea, a being with a far more ferocious temper that was constantly struggling, had been torn apart into pieces, belonging to parts of land. The sea was never meant to be this way, it was a free spirit. Even the sky, the only place man hadn't got a hand-hold on had been put there simply to divide the water in two. The ocean was never meant to be imprisoned, forced to conform to little things such as 'rules'. They were the liberators of the ocean, fighting for its freedom.

Other people would come to call them 'pirates'. But they were just jealous of their life lived without rules. And at all the treasure they smuggled.

A mighty ship of pirates stayed stationary in the water, it's deep blue sails standing tall and proud on the horizon. Below them, the water thrashed at the deck, but could not move it. The affairs of land had no bearing on the seas. They did not know of the plans of peace between Nrefder and Noxell. They did not know that in just a few weeks, the Princess would go missing, and it wouldn't be their doing. At that precise moment, they were fully occupied with the task at hand.

"Now… um… violence doesn't solve anything!" Cloward tried as she and Karne were forced ever further back along the plank with cruel jabs from swords and the butts of guns. "Let's talk about this, like civilised people!"

Their crew mates laughed raucously.

"Way to go, Cloward." Karne rolled her eyes as Cloward shuffled back another inch, forcing her back to. "We're trying to get out of this, not make them laugh!"

"I'm trying!"

"Violence doesn't solve anything." The captain suddenly repeated in disgust. "That's why you two have got to go! You're a _disgrace _to pirates! All these… morals… these… feelings. How are you ever going to get treasure like that!"  
"Well… um…" Cloward began. From behind her, Karne elbowed her back, in case she hadn't realised how urgent their situation was. "…There are other kinds of treasure besides gold and jewels."

The captain looked at her in suspicion. "You mean… like magic?"

"Hey, Cloward!" Karne hissed sarcastically. "I see a giant sea horse over there! Maybe we can ride it! Oh, no, wait. It's just a rock. We're doomed. Who would have thought?"

Cloward ignored her, and carried on floundering with the captain. "No, no… Well, yes, actually. It is a _kind _of magic. The magic of… um… having people that you care about… like your mothers. Don't you remember how your mothers treated you?"

The pirates began to mutter and mumble amongst themselves. Cloward's heart tripled in it's already increased pulse. This could actually work!

"And how it made you feel? Doesn't it just make you want to… Oh, I don't know. _Stop _pushing people off planks, maybe?"

The pirates considered.

"No." The captain roared. "My mother hated me! She always wanted a girl! It what made me want to push people off planks to begin with!"

"Cloward!" Karne yelled.

"How was I to know he had issues!" Cloward screamed back as they resumed their backwards walk.

"He's a _pirate_! _Of course _he has issues!"

"Guess what! So are _we_! We don't have issues!"

"We're about to _drown_! I'd call that an issue!"

The captain grinned evilly. "Off you go."

One final push, and they plunged into the cold, malicious grip of the ocean.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Karne awoke to a world of brown, smothering her face. She struggled, thinking she was confined in some sort of sack as the rest of the crew had liked to do, but then realised it was mud. She lifted her face out of it.

"Land!" She yelped, startled by something solid when she'd spent most of her life swabbing decks at sea. Then: "Crud! I made it!" She rolled onto her back and stared upwards in relief. To her surprise, she didn't see sky, but trees. Lots of trees. Trees everywhere. This had to be a… A forest. That was it. She'd only ever been to one once. She was sitting on a river bank (This much, at least, she was familiar with) in a forest. And, a little way away…

"Cloward! We're alive!"

The girl sat up, spitting bits of land out of her mouth. "Life tastes bad." She complained. "Where are we?"  
"Land!"

"Yeah, but where about? Hey…" She looked in suspicion at one of the trees. She could have sworn something had moved up there in the branches. "Did you see that…?" Cloward stood up, taking a step away from the river. Suddenly, the ground wriggled beneath them, and, suddenly, hundreds of little fish were squirming out from all around them, rushing in a panic towards the river; and carrying the startled ex-pirates with them. They splashed into the river, and, as she got her ears above water again, Karne swore she heard someone laugh. They staggered back to the riverbed.

"Who's there?" Karne called out. No-one answered. She turned to Cloward. "You don't think… it's ghosts, do you?"

"That's what we like to be called." A new voice said, and the two turned to see a girl standing easily at the bottom of a tree, looking completely at home. "Not that we're dead or anything. Just our village is."

"Um…" Karne began. The girl folded her arms, but seemed friendly enough as she approached.

"So, tell me. Why do two somewhat incompetent looking pirates wash up here in our forest?"

"Um… Well, we are kinda incompetent, so they tossed us overboard." Cloward admitted, embarrassed. Karne glared at her. "It's true! We're not cut out to be pirates!"

"…Do you think you're cut out to be spies?"

The two ex-pirates gawped at her.

"Look, just… who are you!" Karne demanded.

"Oh, sorry! I'm Jozan. Up there is Az!" She pointed up into the branches of the trees, where a girl they hadn't noticed before gave them a quick wave. "We live here in the Scar. You'll have to forgive us, it's been a while before we found anyone half dead lying around here. Although, there's a lot worse things in this forest then just some mudfish…"

"Karne. Cloward." Karne gestured appropriately. "What's this about being spies?"

Jozan shrugged. "You don't have a ship to go back to, do you? But I can't leave the forest just yet. I need someone to go to the palace in Nrefder."

"Why us?" Cloward asked curiously.

Jozan sighed. "Because you don't seem to be the sort not to hold up your end of a deal, even if you are supposedly pirates."

"Well, that's true." Karne smiled. "But say- and I'm not committing to it, mind you- we _did _go to the Palace for you? What will you pay us?"

"Nothing." Jozan nodded. "But just try to survive- and find a way out of here- without us."

They tried. By that night, when they had faced everything from more mudfish to poisonous plants to explosive turtles to inflating frogs to spear-firing birds to slugs, and were no closer to an edge, they were ready to submit. All that day, Az had been quietly following, watching them; but only intervening when they were about to eat something or tread on something that would kill them. By that point, they were ready to admit defeat. They would go to the Palace.

When they finally reached it- and it had taken a good long time- they had grown used to the land. They found it's solidity reassuring, and the world seemed a lot more of a firm, understanding place then in the tumult and chaos of the waves. The Palace, in it's amazing stone beauty, took their breath away. But they grew used to it as they were taken on in the stables. The majesty of the horses, however, struck them again and again every day. They were intelligent, unique creatures. The job in the stables may not have been as glamorous as pirating, but it got them honest money, and they loved every minute they got to spend with the horses.

But then, Anzu had been kidnapped and Danielle had reached the Palace. They sent a message back to Jozan, and that was all they had to do. They left right there and then, although they were reluctant to do so. If it was found they'd been 'spies' at a time like this, they'd be done for. It was time to return to the only other thing they knew, where they had come to be as small children- the sea.

They travelled to the nearest stretch of coastline, and, using the money they had made at the Palace, managed to build themselves a little sailboat. It was by no means as imposing as other pirate ships, but at least it had sails and a helm, and beneath the deck it had two a small cabin and a compact cargo hold. They intended to make an honest go at it- becoming shippers, taking things from one port to another. But, before they could do that, there was one other small matter to attend to.

"A name? Why should we do that?" Karne asked, anxious to take their only-just completed boat out for a test.

"It's tradition! You never sail in a ship before you've named it!" Cloward insisted. "And I think we should call it 'The Bernard'!" Bernard had been a particular favourite of theirs amongst the horses at the Palace.

"…Aren't ships usually girls?"

"Not this one!" Cloward said, happily. Karne decided to give up.

"Okay, sure. The Bernard. Let's go!"

And they went. They had no particular destination, save one- they had to go to a coastal town on the edge of Noxell to register The Bernard. Having planned all this out with Jozan before they'd even left, they'd had an appointment for over two months. Once that was done, they'd be a registered trade ship, and they were in business.

Unfortunately, they'd be taking a little detour first.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Amnis was used to sneaking around unseen. If she wanted to stay hidden, it was only Jozan, used to her tricks, or one of the tree spirits that could find her. And even then, they had a job. She could easily conceal herself in the largest or smallest of spaces, and could move quickly and silently. That proved to be useful now.

She was going to try and sneak back over to the factory.

Heart pounding, she walked down the corridor towards the front door, looking at the floor. If people thought she was downtrodden, they'd pay no more attention to her then they would to dirt on the floor- perhaps tut at it a little, and then leave it for someone else to sort out. She tried her best, with her bucket of water and rag, to look like she really was going to clean. Not that there was any point. No matter what she and the others did, the house remained filthy. There was so much dust and grime circulating in the air, it was pointless to try. So no-one would miss if one downstairs room hadn't had it's floor washed.

She paused about five metres away from the main front door, which was the only one in the house to be made of heavy wood and designed to swing rather then slide, thinking. She put down the bucket, and began to clean right where she was, lest anyone saw her. It also gave her a good opportunity to look at the floor. There were no guards posted there, which made her feel certain it was a trap. Slowly, she shuffled forward, buffing all the way. The floor squeaked.

And then, it made a noise that defiantly wasn't a 'squeak', but more an echoing, reverberating sound. Hollow. Sure enough, she ran her hands across the floor and was able to detect the tiniest hint of a rim. Squinting, she could make out the slight bumps that suggested hinges.

A trap door. The second she stood on this, it would swing up beneath her and send her plummeting down to some type of nasty fate. No wonder no-one was ever told to clean this stretch of floor. She had assumed she had been brought in through the side entrance because she was no better then a parcel, but it seemed that wasn't the case. Prysen was playing with them. There were no other rooms that far down the corridor, no guards on the door, and it was even in a nice blind spot. He wanted to entice people to try and escape, so he could trap them.

Well, she'd have to disappoint him. Unlike the heavily guarded side door, this one would be easy to get out of; provided you didn't need to touch the floor.

Amnis happened to be very good at climbing.

With the aid of the candlesticks set every few centimetres along the wall, she swung her way along, only to find they stopped a few feet away from the door. She shrugged, which caused her to pull up on her arms. It was a problem. She pushed her feet against the wall, and with ease, flipped herself off it; landing right beside the door.

And the floor stayed put.

Amnis had the sudden thought that if the door opened inwards, she'd have no choice but to step off her narrow foot hold and onto the trap door. She pushed the door hopefully, and it juddered slightly, but did not open.

It wasn't that it opened inwards, she realised, but that it was locked.

That wasn't a problem either.

She hadn't had much experience with locks in the Scar, but that didn't matter. She looked at it closely, and then pulled one of her shuriken from the pouch at her waist, which Prysen obviously hadn't seen as a threat. He didn't see much of a threat in her either, but still made sure that she was treated twice as badly as the others just in case. But it was the lock, not her, that broke as she forced one of the vicious points in between the mechanism. After some jiggery-pokery, it popped open and she pushed the door slowly open.

Sticking to the shadows, she quickly ran across the grounds, over the small bridge, and slipped into the shed that held the slaves- or, at least, the half that weren't on a daytime shift in the awful factory. This place was guarded, but it was easy enough to get in- she simply scaled the wall and dropped in from a hole in the roof. Some of the slaves stirred, but others just looked at her blankly.

"It's time to get out of here." She whispered to the one closest to her. "But it'll only work if everyone does it together. Prysen can't take all of us. At the cross-over tomorrow morning, we're all getting out of here." She whispered, in short, simple sentences, what was to be done. The man nodded, and slowly, quietly, began to pass it on. Amnis climbed the uneven wall again, and slipped away, and headed back to the house. She would be making the trip again later, at night time. Still, it was tempting not to return… She could so easily dive into the stream and swim out.

But the gates were locked. And there were spikes in the riverbed. Not to mention Prysen's pet piranhas in the water itself.

She found herself thinking, once again, about what the others were doing. She'd thought they would have got here by now… She hoped at least some of them were still alive. And she hoped they'd have the good sense not to try and swim in.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Just as the waves crashed onto the sand, so to did the sun break through the night to once again take it's turn in the cycle. The heroes, as Jozan and Jonouchi liked to refer to them, were at the top of the cliff, just far enough away so that the two still affected by Ripples could be comfortable. But now, it was dawn and, on the horizon, Yugi had spotted something.

"I see a little sailboat." He said, squinting. "Looks like a small-time trade ship…"

"That's probably them!" Jozan said, cheerily, slinging her bow and quiver, which she used as a pillow, onto her back. "Come on, we need to go and flag them down, or they'll sail right on by to the next beach and we'll never get our boat!"

They began to run down to the beach. Danielle felt her stomach tighten more the closer they got. She couldn't help but feel nervous. Before she knew it, she would be relying on the others to keep her safe. In just that storm, she had been so sure it was going to kill her. What would the ocean, this great, powerful, moving body of water do to her, and to Ryou? Would the others actually be able to do anything about it?

"Danielle." Yugi said, suddenly. "We all know what this will do to you and Ryou. You should stay behind."

"No way!" Danielle said, fiercely. "I was here at the beginning and I'll be here at the end!"

"But… The ripples…"

"The Ripples have been dictating my life for way too long! I want to save the Princess, just like the rest of you! And even though it's a little scary… I still want to come! I won't wait here!"

"That's right!" Ryou agreed. "It was my fault Anzu got kidnapped! I've put up so much protection around the Palace and her and myself, but in the end it was for nothing! I'm not going to run away anymore!"

"Fine." Seto said, testily. "But can we run _towards _the coast? We're going to miss them…"

Their feet hit sand, and the six slid and ran and rolled down the sand dune. Ryou and Danielle lay at the bottom, and the Ripples consumed their minds. To Danielle's mind, even though she was just as trapped as she had been in the storm, it was… gentler. The visions didn't force their way into her head, but wrapped themselves carefully around her mind. The pictures and sounds ebbed and flowed with the tide. But she didn't mind so much anymore. It was almost peaceful…

Meanwhile, the others had the problem of how to get the attention of the ship, which was about to sail past the bay.

"It's too far out! No matter how loudly we shout, they won't hear us!" Jonouchi screamed in frustration.

"I'd say you were doing a fairly good job." Seto commented drably.

Jozan waved a hand for attention. "It's not a problem, gents." She smiled, and then pulled from her pocket a small, metallic looking ball. A kind of key stuck out of one side. "This was leant to me, but… I'm not too good with them. Which of you can throw the furthest?"

"That would be me." Jonouchi tried, but she was already handing the strange object to Seto.

"What do I do with this?" Seto asked. He remembered Jozan's 'friends' well, but he didn't see how throwing something this small would get their attention.

"Well, in a minute- _not now­- _you pull the pin out the top, lob it as far as you can into the sea, and then we all run away." Jozan smiled sweetly.

"Run away?" Seto echoed. "What does this thing do, Jozan?"

"You won't find out if you don't try- and quickly, or we _will _miss them! Good job they're incompetent, or they'd be out of here by now…"

"Jozan…" Seto snarled dangerously, but she shook her head firmly.

Seto had always been a curious person. It got the better of him now.

He pulled the pin out, and threw it. They ran up the beach, but he couldn't resist looking back to see what it did.

For a moment, he was disappointed. Nothing appeared to be happening. Then, suddenly, there was an almighty explosion; like when half the Snapping Turtles had simultaneously blown up. A huge amount of water shot up into the air at incredible speed and then crashed back down, spraying them all, even though they were a good distance away.

"_What_ was that?" Seto asked, in a voice that indicated she should explain. Immediately.

"That was the subtle approach." Jozan grinned at him, and ran back down to the shore line again. "That got their attention! They're turning around!"

"Let's just hope it is who you think it is…" Seto mumbled. Mumbling wasn't a habit of his, in fact, he deplored it, but then, he had just seen part of the ocean blow up. Before their eyes, the ship bashed into the rocks at the side of the bay. He sighed. "Yeah, that would be them…"

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Danielle awoke with the sensation of being rocked gently side to side. Someone was shaking her awake.

"Danielle! Danielle! Come on, now, it's time to wake up!"

The shaking stopped, but still, the rocking continued. How odd.

Unless… was it the movement of the ocean?

She opened her eyes to see Ryou, who looked happy. Blinking, she sat up, waiting for the visions to start weighing down on her mind again. But it didn't come.

"The Ripples…" She said, slowly. "They're not…"

"I know!" Ryou grinned. "Isn't it marvellous? The water may be moving, but with nothing for it to impact against, it isn't actually rippling! It's just going back and forth and back and forth and back and forth…" He laughed, ending his song.

Danielle laughed in relief. "Oh… It would have helped if we'd realised this _before_… You're a silly billy…"

"Sorry." Ryou said sheepishly. "It's been a long time since I was anywhere near the ocean. May we go up onto deck and see? Just as long as we don't fall in!"

"Alright." Danielle agreed, readily. Apart from the views she could half make out in the dark the night before, she had never seen the sea. She never thought she'd have chance to. Then there was the odd, light-headed feeling she had, presumably from the motion… They climbed some stairs, and then she found herself surrounded by more water then she had thought possible. She could still see the beach they'd been picked up from, but in the other direction, it was all clear, blue-green water. The smell was fantastic. The boat was stationary at the moment, and she hung over the edge, looking down into the depths. Apart from Ryou, and one of the supposed pirates, she was alone. It seemed the others were below deck somewhere- they'd woken up in the cargo hold, so presumably they were in the cabin. The wind blew suddenly, sending ripples fluttering across the water and shivers down her spine. She straightened up, for something on the side of the boat had caught her attention.

It was long and tubular, and seemed to be made of metal. But she couldn't for the life of her work out what it was. There appeared to be some sort of tiny handle on it, and, curiously, she reached out to it.

"Don't touch that!" The pirate at the helm called, and then her friend ran up from below, coming and placing herself between Danielle and the thing. "Good grief."

"What is it? I wanna see!" Danielle asked, trying to look around the person.

"I've seen them before." Ryou said, frowning as he tried to remember from his early childhood. "…I think it's called a 'gum'."

The girl laughed. "I think you'll find that's 'gun', mate. This particular one is a blunderbuss, great for shooting people trying to climb onboard the ship. Or, in our case, to deter people from _trying_ to climb onboard. Generally, in a fight, we just lock ourselves below deck. We don't want to hurt anyone… Or get hurt ourselves of course." She smiled in an amiable fashion. "My goodness, though, you people really are backwards. They didn't know what a grenade was earlier either…"

"Blussblunder? Glenda?" Danielle echoed, bewildered.

"Karne, leave it. You don't want to overload her brain right after she's woken up." The pirate at the helm called, laughing. "Don't forget, they've only just been made on the mainland. They won't be around these parts for a good year or two!"

"Fine… But, Cloward, I was just thinking that I should maybe give a demonstration… That would explain it better then I ever could." Karne winked. Then, she readied the 'blunderbuss', removed something she called a 'dog hook', and then squeezed the handle.

Danielle managed to catch sight of something shooting out of the end, impossibly fast. It left a horridly loud noise behind it that would leave her jumpy for the rest of the day.

"…What would happen if that hit someone?" Ryou asked, quietly.

"Well… ever seen a sword go straight through someone? As in… _all _the way through someone?"

"As it happens, I have." Ryou said, grimacing slightly, and then laughing.

"Just imagine that it carries on all the way through, and drags a good deal of your insides with it." Karne said, calmly. "That's why we refuse to use it on anyone… Although other pirates aren't so conscientious about it."

Danielle shuddered slightly, and nearly lost her balance.

"Excuse me, where is everyone? They should be around here somewhere…" Ryou asked, checking they weren't hiding under a nearby barrel. Karne pointed down the stairs, and confirmed Danielle's suspicions of the cabin. She didn't accompany him. She wanted to look at the sea a little longer… but now, they were far out enough for Cloward to turn the boat around and align itself properly with the mouth of the river that would carry them to Prysen, so they were heading back towards the shore. She sighed, but then Karne came to talk to her.

"So… Was Jozan happy to finally find you again?" She asked.

Danielle snorted. "No. She hates me…" She felt like crying.

Karne blinked. "What?"

"She insists we're not friends." Danielle admitted. "I don't know… I don't understand her…" She sobbed slightly.

"Well, neither do I, now." Cloward complained. "It seems an awful strange thing to go searching for someone over twelve years when you hate them."

Danielle whipped round, gawping at her. "What?"

"That's why we went to the Palace." Karne shrugged. "She said she looked all over Nrefder for 'Danniru' but hadn't found her. The Palace was the only place left, she said, and she couldn't go away from the Scar for that long. So she sent us."

"She was… looking for me?"

"Yeah." Cloward rolled her eyes. "Of course, she didn't know what your Mage name was, so that made life hard, but…"

"Something about feeling guilty for not telling you about an attack…?" Karne prompted quizzically. Danielle, meanwhile, was looking down at the sea, hands clenched into fists. And, because of her notoriously bad timing, it was just then that Jozan appeared on deck.

"Hey, Danniru!" She yelled. "You coming or what? We're trying to decide-"

To her surprise, she had just been slapped.

"Ow! What was that for!"

"You liar!" Danielle yelled, angrily. "You said we weren't friends!"

"What…?" Jozan looked confused, then noticed Karne and Cloward innocently avoiding looking at her, studiously involved in navigating their way down the river, and glared. "They weren't supposed to tell you…"

"Why not!" Danielle demanded. "All this time, I thought you didn't like me!"

"Yeah, well…" Jozan looked away, embarrassed. "We were friends as kids, and then when I could have stopped you from being taken away… I felt bad." She shrugged sheepishly.

"But why couldn't you just have told me that?" Danielle sighed, suddenly tired. Her mood seemed to be rapidly swinging around today…

Jozan moved to the side of the boat, and looked out at the moors as the river snaked through them. "Oh, come on. You're the most important Mage in Noxell. You live in a Palace. I'm a forest girl that lives in a tree. I couldn't face you unless I had succeeded at _something_…"

"So we _are _friends!" Danielle cried, triumphant. "I knew it! You were just feeling inadequate, weren't you! Ha! I _knew _you didn't hate me!"

"Geez, make me feel good…" Jozan muttered, rubbing the back of her neck, desperately embarrassed. "It's no big deal…"

"Yes, it is." Danielle insisted. "I missed you, Jojo!" She hugged her friend, who put up with this for a second, before pulling away.

"Um…Let's not get sappy here." She said uncomfortably. Then she turned to Cloward. "Are we almost there? She's acting weird. I think the sailing's making her doo-lally!"

"Actually, now that you mention it…" Even given the situation, she was feeling a little… frooby.

"When is she not?" Seto drawled, turning up on deck with the others in tow. Evidentially, he had heard every word.

"Ah, Seto!" Jozan cried, unfazed by their arrival. "There you are! I have to ask you something- What makes a Pirate a pirate? Come on!"

He glared at her.

"It's a joke! What makes a Pirate a Pirate?" She paused, but no-one joined in, so she continued to the punch line regardless. "They just _arrh!"_

She laughed. Ryou and Danielle laughed until they were almost on the floor. No-one else did.

"You were right…" Yugi said, watching the two still laughing in bewilderment. "It really is getting to them…"

"It wasn't even that funny…I only said it to annoy Seto…" Jozan commented.

"EUPHORIA!" Danielle declared, happily. Then she laughed even harder, Ryou joining in.

"Riiiiiight…"

"Hey, Cloward…" Karne said, coming to a slow realisation. "What is it we're transporting again?"

"Alcohol. Why?"

"Well, didn't the guy say that we shouldn't stay in the hold with it for too long? 'Cause we'd breathe in the fumes and stuff…?"

There was silence.

"They're drunk." Jonouchi stated.

"Drunk? Us?" Ryou asked, confused.

"Yes you!" Jozan replied, dying to laugh. "Drunk, tipsy, sloshed, bladdered, plastered, crumbled, potted, saturated-"

"I think they get it." Seto interjected.

"…Well, shiver my timbers…" Ryou muttered in surprise. Danielle collapsed into giggles.

"Wait." She said, suddenly, brow furrowing in confusion. "That wasn't funny… Ryou, that wasn't funny… For that matter, neither was Jozan's joke…"

"No, it wasn't." Ryou agreed, baffled. They stood up. The others started to laugh at them. Danielle groaned.

"I am _never _going to drink…" She vowed. "If I start acting weird again, someone hit me."

"And me…" Ryou added, feeling more then a little embarrassed and biting down on the impulse to make another appalling pirate joke.

"Don't worry." Cloward said, comfortingly. "Give it a few more minutes, and your head will be as clear as mud."

"But mud isn't clear at all!" Ryou protested. Then he realised he'd stated the obvious, and decided not to speak again until he was sure he could trust himself. They'd only breathed in a small amount… surely, the effects couldn't be too serious… or long lasting…

Suddenly, there was a crash of wood against metal. There was a splintering sound.

"Oh." Cloward said, slowly. "We've hit a flaw. Or a gate, as it happens."

In the distraction, they hadn't noticed that they'd reached the edge of the complex. Cloward prepared to lie her way into through the gates- it was for the greater good, after all- but there was no-one there to lie _to_. The whole place seemed to be in chaos. And, marching across the bridge over the river was a huge crowd of people.

"What the…?" Danielle breathed.

"Anzu!" Yugi said in surprise, pointing to the head of the group. "And Amnis!"

Jozan smirked as Danielle looked at her. "Didn't I say they'd regret it…?"

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

At dawn the next day, Amnis and Anzu 'happened' to find themselves in the same room of the house, by the same window. Before their very eyes, the shift in the factory was changing. Some stumbled out, blinking, into the light; while others headed, downtrodden, towards the mouth of that terrible place. They marched, in two orderly columns, away or toward that place. But then, as the two columns drew level in the middle of their journey, the column heading towards the factory turned around.

That was their cue. The plan itself was simple enough. There were at least a hundred slaves in this complex, and perhaps twenty or thirty guards, armed with swords and nothing else. By instilling fear into them, Prysen had ensured they wouldn't attempt escape. Until now. Danielle and the others may have wanted to sneak in, but they had no such problems. They were simply going to walk out.

Outside, meanwhile, the guards were looking on in bewilderment. They didn't know what to do. They didn't have the highest moral values in the world, and they hardly had a burning work ethic. They knew that if they tried to stop it, they'd just be stampeded over. The guards from inside the house ran outside, and, in their wake, those of them inside the house were able to walk out at their leisure. Anzu and Amnis joined the group at the front, surprised to find not only the other girls from the house there with them, but also Jin. So she had been a captive here.

The guards at the gates to the river had also come running, leaving a boat stranded there. Amnis shrugged as they went back over the bridge and back towards the house. They'd have to wait. It was probably only more slaves anyway.

She didn't hear them calling her name from the deck, and didn't turn round to see them waving and gesturing at her to get the gates open. She was unaware that they had reinforcements waiting outside, instead thinking about what was going to happen next as they walked past the guards, too stunned to move.

The slaves would simply walk past the house, and up the slope behind it, onto the moors outside. Amnis didn't know what would happen to them after that. Anzu was the princess- she could deal with it. Amnis was waiting to get back inside, to have her revenge. Prysen, whatever he was doing, needed dealing with.

As they drew level with the house, things started to go wrong. The guards were assembled outside a storeroom, and each one of them was holding a gun. Those among them that had put them together, ran as soon as they saw them, but could not shout a warning to the others fast enough. Shots rang out, and one person fell where he stood. That was enough to break the orderly, silent march, into a terrified, chaotic, pelt to get up the valley wall. The guards gave chase. Amnis, however, turned around.

"Where are you going!" Anzu shouted over the confusion.

"To get Prysen while the guards are distracted!"

Anzu wavered, looking at the running people making it to the top of the hill and then turning around to help the others up. These people had been confined together, had silently suffered together. Any selfishness had long since been stamped out. They would be alright. She turned back to Amnis. "I'm coming to!"

"What! After I went through all that trouble to rescue you!"

Anzu pointed to the weapons the guards were using. "That's what he's doing, Amnis! That's what he's making! I can't let that pass! Besides, it's going to take more then just you to deal with him!"

Amnis didn't reply immediately. She was squinting up into the bellies of the clouds. "…Here comes the Calvary…" She smiled, slowly.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

"Could we climb the gate?" Ryou suggested, sobering up rapidly when the guards pulled out 'gums' on the escapees.

"Not at that height." Seto dismissed. "And there's no hand-holds. I bet even Amnis, amazing monkey-girl, couldn't do it."

Jozan hit ineffectually on the arm. "Don't insult my sister when she's in there being _shot at_! How are we going to get in!"

"We could probably approach from the valley and get in from the side. In the confusion, no-one would notice…" Yugi began.

"That would take _way _too long!" Jozan pointed out, evidentially more worried about her sister now. "And we'd be shot or trampled before we could even get close!"

"There's no other way!" Seto snapped. "We can't get in through the river, and now you're saying we can't get in on land! Then your sister is as good as dead! We have no choice!"

"Actually…" Danielle began tentatively. "We may not be able to get in by water… or land… but do you think we could… maybe…"

"Spit it out!" Jozan prompted.

"We could get in from the air." Danielle completed. They gawped at her.

"In case you hadn't noticed…" Seto said, dryly. "The only thing in the whole world that can fly happens to be a bird. And none of us are birds. Let's go around onto the moors and-"

"No!" Danielle shouted. It was time she asserted herself. "Just because no-one's ever done it doesn't mean it can't be done! There are two Royal Mages on this boat, and if anyone can do it, it's us! What do you think, Ryou?"

"Well… No-one's ever found a word for flight or even levitation…" He contemplated it. "But… perhaps if we described it well enough…"

"This is our only shot." Danielle told him, solemnly. He nodded, and took hold of the side of the boat, ready to pump everything he had into it. Jozan bit her lip, watching. Seto folded his arms and stood back. If this worked, he would be impressed.

Danielle and Ryou whispered every word they could think of into the boat, everything from 'height' to 'weightlessness' to 'change' and anything else that could even be slightly relevant. At first, of course, it didn't work, as the boat absorbed the magic and struggled to obey it without being entirely clear on what it was supposed to do. But, finally, it juddered, and began to lift. The water made a final grab at the hull, but The Bernard shook itself free of it and drifted up into the air.

Alarmed, Cloward took hold of the helm, struggling to bring it back under control, and to take them in the right direction. Karne began moving the sails around, but it was water the two understood, and they weren't sailing on water anymore.

They were sailing the world's first airship.

"Keep us steady here." Seto commanded, grudgingly impressed.

_"HOW!" _Cloward and Karne asked, shrilly, but they weren't doing all that bad at piloting the ship. It was almost the same as the water…

"Hey, Danielle…" Ryou said, slowly. It was hard to talk while channelling magic into the wood. He hadn't done all that much in the spell beyond that; his magical vocabulary was not as extensive as Danielle's, or as creative. He'd put in a few words here and there, but that was about it. However, he thought he had skills that would come in handy now. "Here's a question for you. How are we going to jump off this ship and into the complex without letting it crash to the ground behind us? The second we jump off, this ship will be a plain old boat again, and it won't stay up here."

"We spent all our money on this boat!" Karne informed them. "We're not going to let you ruin it, Jozan!"

"What? I wasn't the one who made it into an airship!"

The argument continued, but they ignored it.

"I… don't know…"Danielle admitted, slowly. Ryou smiled.

"I do. You just keep the magic up, and I'll seal it into this lovely inanimate object, okay?"

He did so.

"Okay." He said, removing his hand from the railing. Danielle did the same, staggering a little as she let it drop. Her head was completely clear of alcohol now, but it was the strain of using all the magic at once. She steadied herself, and looked over the side.

It was a long way down. She swallowed.

"So… We're jumping?"

Seto didn't bother replying, simply walking over to the side and calmly vaulting over it. Not wanting to look inadequate, Jonouchi was only a second behind him.

They watched them fall, seeing Seto land easily on his feet, only bending at all so he could absorb the impact better. Jonouchi didn't quite manage it, stumbling, but he quickly recovered, turning it into a roll and finishing on his feet.

"…That looks like fun!" Ryou said, happily. He turned to the two pirates. "Thank you very much for your help, but I'm afraid you'll have to go and set down somewhere soon. I don't know how long the spell will last. Well, goodbye. See you guys in a minute!" He hopped easily over the side.

Yugi licked his lips a little nervously, but then nodded. "Better to get it done…" He shrugged, and jumped.

Jozan and Danielle looked at each other.

"Eh… this is the bit I don't like…" Jozan said, sheepishly. "Not that I'm afraid of heights. Just of jumping from them."

"Well… You jumped out of trees all the time in the Scar!" Danielle tried to assure her, though she felt far from calm herself. "This is just like a tall tree. A really, really _tall _tree…" She swallowed.

"Surprisingly, that didn't help." Jozan rolled her eyes, but took a determined step forward. "Let's jump together…" Danielle nodded, coming and standing next to her.

"Ready?"

"Ready!" Danielle declared, gathering all her courage together.

"Wait!" Jozan said, looking at her quizzically. "…What are you going to do when this is all over? Are…are you going to come back to the Scar…?"

"I…I don't know." Danielle admitted. "…What about you?"

Her friend laughed. "I'm just concentrating on surviving right now." She shuffled forward. "Now… JUMP!"

Taking deep breaths, they did. Danielle landed gracefully on the ground, straightening up just as Seto had.

"Well, that wasn't so bad." She said, brightly. "What do you think, Joz-"

She looked down, and saw that Jozan was lying on the ground, looking a little embarrassed and a little scared. It appeared she had somehow managed to land on top of Seto.

"Hey, that's a good aim…" Danielle commented admiringly, helping her up.

"Shut up." Seto and Jozan said together, as Seto got to his feet on his own.

Amnis, meanwhile, was laughing hysterically. "Great entrance, Jo!"

"Shut up." Jozan said again, getting her sister in a head lock. "What were you playing at! How did you manage to get kidnapped by that idiot!"

"Excuse me!" Amnis pulled free. "You were the one that got poisoned by him!" Jozan grabbed hold of her, and a small struggle ensued.

"Sibling love…" Ryou said, trying not to laugh as they watched in bewilderment. Jonouchi looked away. It made him think of his sister…

"Um, excuse me…" Anzu said, tentatively, and all eyes turned to her. "Hello."

"Anzu!" Yugi gasped, going to hug his old friend.

"Yugi? I didn't realise you had come!" She pulled away. "Seto, Ryou! You guys to?" She walked over to Ryou, and swatted him on the arm. "Didn't I say it was a bad idea for me to try and run away!"

Ryou looked at the ground. "I'm sorry…"

She laughed, hugging him, which caused him to go rather red. "Don't be silly. You were worried about me. Thank you."

"I hate to interrupt the touching reunion," Seto stated, sarcastically. "But we need to move."

They looked at him quizzically.

"The guards have noticed us and are debating whether to come after us or the slaves." He elaborated monotonously.

They began to run towards the house, the only shelter close by. Meanwhile, Ryou was trying to explain who the others were. Anzu lead them into a small room, sliding the door shut behind them.

"Tell me the adventure stories later." She dismissed. "We've got a job to do. You saw those guns? Prysen's making them- or rather, kidnapping people to make them for him! He's forcing people into slavery, working them with almost no food or sleep until they collapse, and then he has them beaten and put back to work!"

"And he's making the weapons out of the shells of Snapping Turtles!" Amnis said, upset.

"I think we all know what we need to do." Anzu stated.

"Yes, getting you back to the Palace." Seto answered. "I don't care what this guy's done, it's nothing to do with me. I came here to get you, to do the job, and that's it. Let's go."

A resounding slap filled the room. But, to everyone's surprise, it was not Anzu at the giving end, but Danielle. Seto glared at her. Danielle glared back. Jozan and Amnis burst into applause.

"You would not believe how long I've wanted to do that!" Jozan grinned. "Not that I ever had the guts…"

"You are disgusting!" Danielle yelled at Seto. "You're a disgrace! How can you say you don't care! He's putting people into slavery! Innocent people! You act so heartless, but I know it's not true! Imagine it was Az! You would kill him! If you can care about one person, you can care about the others!"

"Az is dead!" Seto lost his temper now, the layer of ice that usually contained his rage evaporating away in his fury. "She's in the forest right now, dying! So no, I don't care! I've tried, and it doesn't work! I cared for my family, they died! I cared for Az, and now she's dying to! So forgive me if I don't care about complete strangers!"

Silence fell again.

"Az is…dying?" Danielle spat.

"Yes." Seto said, stonily. "By the time we've dropped Anzu off and made our way back to the Scar, she'll be gone. Happy?"

"Of course not!"

"The woodcutters…" Jozan was saying slowly. "They half cut her tree down, didn't they…? We should have figured! The wood will die and rot!"

"The life will leak out of it, and it'll wither away." Seto informed her.

"I…"

The door slammed back, and the guards- all of them- poured into the small room. They were surrounded.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Az was miles and miles away from the room where Seto and the others were under attack, but her thoughts, as always, remained firmly with them. She wondered what they were doing, how they were getting on. She always wondered about the future. What would happen to them afterwards?

A future. There was something she didn't have anymore.

She wished and wished she could have gone with them. But she physically couldn't go outside the forest. Nowadays, she couldn't even get down from her tree. It was dying, growing weaker, and with it, so was she. She sat in its branches, exhausted. She'd been bound to it soon after birth, just as all Tree Spirits were, so she could stay alive. Now she would die with it.

She had been so lucky. Her mom loved her so much. She had friends, in the Spirits, and in the village. Kaho, Jozan and Amnis. Then there was Danielle, Yugi and Jonouchi and Ryou- she was sure, that if she had a little more time, she would have been friends with them to. Just a little more time, that was what she wanted. She had no right to ask for it, not really, when she had had such a good life, growing up with Jo and…

She smiled slightly. Seto. Drat, she'd been trying not to think about him.

She heard a rustling, and pulled her weary eyes open. Kaho had come to visit. Usually, it was only her mom. It wasn't customary to visit the dying. You came once to say goodbye, and let them face death with courage, not with someone holding their hand and begging them not to go. But Kaho defied this custom. Inside, Az was glad.

"Not long now…" She whispered to Kaho, and, before she knew what was happening, she was beginning to cry again. Kaho silently pulled her into a hug. "I… I don't have any regrets though… Not except… Kaho, once, just once, it would have been nice to be able to hug him."

"I know." She whispered.

"Do you think…" Az said, quietly. "I should have told him? That I…?"

"No." Kaho consoled. "No, Az. You did the right thing. You could never have been together… if you'd told him, he wouldn't have accepted that."

Az began to cry harder. "I know. I know that. But it's just so… hard…"

"Yes." Kaho said, trying as best she could to comfort her. "Life can be like that."

"So can death." Az commented, laughing a little. So did Kaho. Neither of them really wanted to. But it was always better to laugh, because otherwise, they would have cried.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

"We've beaten Prysen's goons before!" Jozan declared with bravado. "We can do it again!"

"One," Danielle began, wearily, "There were only nine of them last time. Now, there's got to be at least three times that. Two, last time, you and Ryou almost died. Three, last time, Amnis got kidnapped!"

"Four!" Jozan snapped irritably, swinging around and punching one in the gut. "_Once again_, that isn't helping!"

"Will you two stop yakking and _do_ something!" Amnis screamed, kicking someone in the chest, sending him stumbling into the guy behind.

"We've gotta move!" Danielle cried. "There isn't enough room to swing a staff in here!"

"Forget weapons!" Seto commanded, finally gaining the upper hand in his struggle and swinging the unfortunate man around so he knocked over several of his comrades. Immediately, more came to fill his place. "There isn't enough room!"

"You're telling me!" Amnis gasped, having just bitten an arm that had been wrapped around her neck.

Ryou, meanwhile, had actually managed to get his staff out, and he swung it in an ark at the men's feet, tripping several of them over.

Jonouchi, snarling, was punching or kicking anyone who got close to him- and once they were down, they stayed down. Seto was employing a very similar tactic. In fact, if Danielle didn't know any better, she could have sworn they were working together as they forced their two separate opponents together, so that their heads bashed and another two hit the floor. Seto and Jonouchi nodded at each other, and then swung around to face new opponents.

Yugi and Anzu to seemed to be working with the same strategy. Neither of them had ever been much use in a fist-fight, so they were using two things to their advantage- their less then average height, and the stupidity of the guards. It was easy enough to bait them into taking a swing at them, ducking, and sending them flipping over into a heap behind them. None of their victims would be walking straight for a while.

Jozan was fighting like an animal, using whatever method was available at the time. At this point, a man knocked her down, held her to the floor, but she simply spat into his eye, and while he was blinded, disposed of him with a kick to the stomach and a punch to the head.

At least in their other battle Danielle had got the sense of people doing what they had been trained to do. There had been a certain type of grace to it, a sense of choreography, like an intricate, improvised dance. This was nothing but a struggle for survival, using any means necessary.

"Danniru!" Amnis yelled, suddenly. "Go, the door! Prysen's room is just upstairs! Go get him!"

Danielle glanced over her shoulder. In the melee, she seemed to have been forgotten. And, indeed, for the moment, it seemed she had a free run to the door.

"But…"

"You can do it!" Amnis shouted, as two men grabbed an arm each. She used them as support to flip her whole body over and kick them in the heads as she went. She stumbled back, and waved at her to go. "Go, go! We'll handle things here!"

"But…"

"She's right!" Jozan insisted, briefly breaking out of the middle of a scuffle with three men. They continued to fight regardless, apparently not noticing she had gone from their midst. "Get away with you! I'm over here, idiots!" She punched one in the back of the head and was quickly swallowed by the heaving mass again. Danielle hesitated, but then a man on the receiving end of Seto's rage was thrown across the room, hitting the top of the door frame and landing painfully on the floor, groaning.

It was beginning to really look like they _could _handle things here. And it would distract the guards from coming to protect Prysen… She was the only one being forced towards the door instead of away from it. She was the only one who could do it. She nodded, and ran from the room.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

"Got it!" Cloward said, relieved, as the boat fell gently back into the water. It had been close. Karne released the sails, sighing.

"Thank goodness…" She leant against the side, and then her eyes grew wide. "…Cloward?"

They were surrounded by uniformed men. None of them, swords drawn, looked happy to see them.

"Well, I suppose you'd like to, well, explain how your ship was, well, flying." One said quietly.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Danielle pounded up the stairs, pausing only briefly to look back at the room to see one of the guards flying out of it. More followed, and she was sure she could hear Jonouchi crying out in triumph, and someone else in pain. Things were getting violent in there. She resumed her run up the stairs. There was only one room on this floor. That had to be it. That had to be Prysen's room. Heart hammering, she wrenched the door open so fast it rattled in its runner.

"Haven't you heard of knocking?" A silky voice asked. Danielle stared at him, for Prysen was a repulsive sight. He gazed at her levelly. "I suppose you are responsible for the chaos happening on my property this afternoon?"

"Partially." Danielle said, coolly, removing her staff from her back. Prysen raised an eyebrow.

"You intend to fight me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

The question caught Danielle off guard, but she answered slowly and rhythmically, venom laced in each syllable. "Because you kidnapped the Princess, and a hundred others. Because you forced them into slavery, and worked them to exhaustion. Because I can't let that pass."

"Is that all?" He smirked, seemingly disappointed. "What about sending those woodcutters in to spy on you in the Scar? Or the ambush in the mushrooms? Or burning your village, all those years ago?" Danielle gasped, inadvertedly taking a step back. He laughed. "Oh, yes, that was me. Of course, I was based over in Nrefder then… You see, both countries were desperate for magic users, and when one, such as your esteemed self, was found, they were taken away to the academy. Of course, no-one ever asked to be paid for such a thing, so I did. I took the children, and then made the Academy pay to get what they wanted. Most of them went to Noxell, though. Couldn't sell in my own country…"

Danielle's grip tightened on the staff. "You burnt Li'anon."

He nodded. "Yes, yes. That's why I know all about you."

"You burnt it. You killed them- practically everyone! You forced them to live in the forest! You… Why! Why did you do it!"

"Why?" He said again. "For money, of course. Same reason I'm doing all this. I'm making these new weapons, like they have on the mainland- although _my _'gunpowder' is all natural for twice the explosion- because, in a war, both countries will pay dearly for them."

"Sorry!" Danielle tried desperately. "There won't be a war! As soon as Anzu is coroneted, there's going to be a long-standing peace arrangement agreed to!"

Prysen shrugged. "Why do you think I had to kidnap her?" he climbed slowly, steadily, to his feet. "Weren't we going to fight?"

Danielle gripped the staff tighter. He lunged at her, moving impossibly fast, but she was fuelled by anger. She stepped aside, pointed the staff at him.

"_Slow_." She said, quietly, and immediately, his next swing at her crawled through the air. She looked at him.

"I'm not even going to bother hurting you. You don't deserve that much effort." She hissed, pointing the staff again. "_Change." _She whispered. He began to run, as best he could while still under the 'Slow' spell. "_Stone."_

Immediately, he stumbled forward, clasping his arm that was rapidly turning to stone. He tripped on the stairs as his leg began to change to, rolling and chipping parts of his body that were already gone. Danielle followed him, casually. He ended up, lying on his back at the bottom of the stairs, unable to move due to the weight of his new body.

"You think you've won…" He whispered, while his head was still free. "I'm afraid not." Suddenly, the stone encasing his body began to melt, simply running off him like water. He got to his feet, smirking.

"Now." He said, slowly. "We fight."

"You're a Mage?" She asked, backing up the stairs a little. He looked far too old! Indeed, he seemed to agree, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course I'm not. But I do have one thing to my advantage…" He pulled a small oval rock, mounted on a chain out from under his robes to show her. "I don't need to be."

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

These guards were better trained then the ones in the mushrooms, and now that there were less of them- perhaps only fifteen still on their feet- it was far easier for them to carry out a strategic manoeuvre. The intruders were all forced together into the centre of the room, surrounded. And now, they would die.

"Seto?" Jozan whispered quietly. She was sporting a bloody, bleeding nose, and the others had similar injuries. One of Seto's arms was broken, hanging uselessly down at his side. Ryou, beaten badly, was out cold. As a whole, the group was in a bad way. "What do we do?"

Seto didn't say anything for a long time. And when he did, Jozan didn't like it very much. "We die with dignity."

"Jo…" Amnis whispered. The two held each other, scared.

"We'll go together." Jozan whispered. "We'll go down with bravery, like Li'anon did."

Seto averted his eyes. Jonouchi did the same, looking upwards. Now he would never go home. Anzu was glaring at the men, as was Yugi. He stepped forward.

"I am the Prince of Noxell." He said, calmly. "And I will fight for it until I'm dead!" He punched the nearest man in as hard as he could. He fell, unconscious, but there were still plenty more. A dozen or more swords headed straight for Yugi and his companions, but didn't reach. A force field, like the shields Danielle usually made, developed around them. They all looked down at Ryou, but he was still out cold. Slowly, they turned back to Yugi.

He seemed as surprised as they were that the Puzzle he wore was glowing, the ancient protection spell in it, dormant for so long, activating. The shield around them expanded, glowing, and when it finally faded away, none of the guards were anywhere to be seen.

"I don't believe it…" Yugi whispered, picking up the Puzzle and examining it.

"It looks like…" Jozan smiled. "We're back in business!"

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Prysen was moving impossibly fast, swinging at her again and again. For her part, she couldn't stop long enough to get a hit in herself, let alone to think about forming magic. This speed wasn't natural. She knew that. It must be on the stone. He had no magic. It was all coming from the stone. She had to get it from him.

Just then, he hit her harshly on the head and then in the stomach, sending her careering backwards. She hit the wall, and crumpled to the floor.

Prysen stood, waiting. But she did not stagger up. She did not move. "Hmmph." He grinned, triumphantly. Behind him, those that had accompanied her came to the door of the room they'd been in. He heard one gasp, but, for the moment, they didn't move either.

He walked over to Danielle's body. He crouched down, getting close up to her lifeless face, spitting in it.

"Nice try." He hissed.

Her eyes opened, and she grinned. "I think so." She opened her hand, showing him the pendant she had snagged while he had been taunting her 'body'. His eyes widened in shock, but it was too late. Just as she'd once done to Jozan, she powered her legs, slamming him in the stomach with all her strength and the magic she had left. He flew like a bullet from one his guns, her friends scattering aside to allow him to fly through the door. They heard the thud as he hit the wall on the other side of the room.

"Ouch." Jozan muttered. "I felt that."

Danielle stood up, smiling in relief. "I'm getting good at that." She commented. The others opened their mouths to quiz her, but then they were interrupted by Ryou, who had just woken up. He looked confused.

"Excuse me," He said, rubbing one of his many wounds. "Could someone please explain why a rather odd looking gentleman crashed on top of me?"

"Oh…" Danielle said, sheepishly. "Sorry, Ryou. My aim isn't fantastic."

"That's perfectly alright." He said, smiling. "Just as long as we stop him getting away."

"What!"

Indeed, Prysen was back on his feet, running as fast as his legs could carry him without the aid of magic. He jumped clean over the trap door, and before anyone could react, he had thrown the front door open, stepped out, and found himself face-to-face with sixty swords, a cutlass, and a blunderbuss.

"Well, what do we have here?" A familiar voice said.

The House was completely surrounded by Nrefder's Royal Guard, with the last minute edition of two rather slip-shod Pirates.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

A/N: And there you have the penultimate part. :D Please go and read the epilogue…


	6. Feelings

_The Princess is free, the friends reunited. Only one task remains, a far greater challenge than any so far. Now that the adventure is over, the heroes must act with wisdom…_

Part Five- Feelings

The five of them rode into Nrefder's Palace on horses they had caught in the Scar to the background noise of a cheering crowd. Once Prysen- now stewing in a lovely dungeon- had been overpowered and arrested, they had begun to head back. However, as the most direct route did not actually lead through the Scar, they had split into two groups- Jozan, her sister, and the two Mages had wanted to see their home again, or to learn more about the strange magic. The others had seen, in Seto's words, 'no point', so they had split up and headed back by different routes. Now, the party that went to the Scar was arriving at the Palace, probably or so after the others. Nrefder seemed happy to see them, but, embarrassed, they hurried through the crowd and into the relative quiet of the Palace Grounds. Yugi, Jonouchi and Anzu were there to greet them.

"Danielle! You're back!"

"Yup!" She grinned, hoping down. She had put a spell on the horse, which had made her ride a lot more fun.

"Ryou! How'd it go?" Anzu asked, warmly, as her mage dismounted to.

"Very well." Ryou smiled, glancing at the remainder of the group. "But… it's good to be home."

"It's good to have you back." Anzu agreed, giving him a quick hug. He, as he always did, blushed profusely.

They headed indoors, where preparations for that evening's coronation were almost complete, deep in happy conversation.

"I hope you don't mind me tagging along…"

"Not at all! You were just as much involved as anyone!"

"The best bit was when she squashed Seto…"

"That was priceless!"

"Hey! That's uncalled for!"

"It was _hilarious_…"

"I wish to differentiate my opinion!"

It seemed things would all be alright now.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

The crown was placed onto Anzu's head, to the applause of those present. She straightened up, and, as her Uncle stood down from the ornate throne, she went and took her place before it, smiling down at those around her.

"Thank you." She said, looking exactly like the young ruler she was, eyes sparkling. "I am a very lucky person. I am, after all, now the ruler of a country of which I am very proud; and that I will protect and lead with everything I have. Of course, I must also thank those that lead the way- to my Uncle, for keeping Nrefder going; to my Godfather, who assisted… And also to those who, as I'm sure you're all aware, allowed me to be here today." She gestured at her rescue party, the members dotted around the room. Even Seto was in attendance. Perhaps he had nowhere else to go. "To them, I would like to say the largest thank you of all. To show my gratitude, I ask you all to accept some rewards."

They glanced at each other in surprise.

"First, to the two that came to my aid right at the very end." Anzu began. "The Royal Guard shall receive an increase in pay;" There was an almighty, rather unprofessional cheer. "But, among them, were two that never bowed to the pressure put upon them. Cloward, Karne…"

The two jumped, surprised to be included, but hurried forward, bowing.

Anzu smiled a little sheepishly. "I'm afraid I didn't know what to give to you… So ask."

The two looked at each other.

"What we'd really like…" Cloward began tentatively. "Is our old jobs back."

"In the stables." Karne added, just in case.

Anzu blinked. She hadn't been expecting that, but she nodded. "If that's what you want, let it be so. But, at least, accept twice the pay that the Stable hands do."

The two glanced at each other again, grinning.

"Thank you…"

"Finally, as in the custom in Nrefder…" Anzu added. "You shall receive new names, to show that you have serviced the country." This really was a routine practise, somewhat akin to back after the war when medals were given. "And so, let you be called Chloe, and Katie."

They bowed again, and backed away. Anzu took a deep breath, before calling Jozan and Amnis forward. She wasn't good with all this formal speaking…

"Jozan, Amnis. You did not have to help, and yet you did- and without you, they would have got no further then the Scar. For that, I thank you to, and give you the right to use any amount from the Treasury; until such a time that the funds are sufficient to have Li'anon rebuilt."

The two sisters gawped at her, and at each other, in shock. Then, they began to smile. In the audience, Danielle was grinning to.

"Now, go and do your best- Joanne, Amy."

"Jonouchi… Your first duty has always been to your Prince, and yet, you put your whole self into the task. Thank you. For you…" She gestured at one of her ladies in waiting, who stepped shyly forward. "I release this girl from her job contract, with Nrefder's full protection behind both of you."

"I…" Jonouchi stammered, blinking. Then he had a proper look at the 'girl' who was to go with him, and smiled. "Shizuka!"

"Jou…" She came, and hugged him hard. "Let's go home, okay?"

"Alright."

"Then go." Anzu smiled, genuinely happy. Shizuka was a good girl, and she'd miss her. But the girl had always spoke of her brother, and she knew that was where she needed to be. "Go, with the full blessing of Nrefder, and the given name of 'Joseph'."

He nodded, to overcome to speak, and the two slipped back into the audience. Seto was called next.

"Seto… Called 'The Silent Wind'…" Anzu smiled at him, wryly. She had known him a long time, and had grown used to his mysteries and moods. "I don't understand you at all, Seto. I had no idea how to reward you! But I had some sources who had some rather… productive suggestions…" Seto looked around. Jozan and Amnis gave him waves and thumbs up. He glared at them, wondering what they had got him into. "They brought it to my attention that, although you are a knight, you have no land of your own. So I am giving you land. The Scar now belongs to you." Seto stared at her. "You still have to let people pass freely through!" Anzu warned him. "But, anyone wanting to forage, or cut down trees, or whatever else, has to get your permission."

Seto looked at the floor. Amnis and Jozan had actually had a good idea. He smiled slightly. "Thank you."

Ryou was pulled up next.

"Ryou…" She said, fondly. "I cannot give you a new name, as you already have your Mage's one. But you have shown bravery and commitment that is not usually assigned to your job, and, indeed, used your skills in creative new ways- even in combat. For that… I knight you now." Ryou looked at her in surprise, but accepted the Knighthood. "You are the first Knight of Noxell, with all the privileges and responsibilities that go with it, able to use magic. May you be the first of many."

Danielle was so happy for him that she almost missed her own name being called. She hurried forward, bowing.

"Danielle…Just as Jonouchi and Ryou did, you went further then was ever expected or required of you. Your initiative and compassion are rare these days, and they proved invaluable to us, as you were the one who all but finished Prysen off. Thank you so much. To you, I give the right to any and every plant you find here in Nrefder that you can use. I also give you the title and status of our nobility, so others will know of what you've done for us." Danielle accepted, blushing a little at the generosity. She bowed again, and moved back into the audience.

Yugi was the last up to be called. He waited patiently, the only one among them who did not have to bow.

"Yugi… Prince of Noxell…" Anzu smiled at her friend. "The problem was not yours, but still, you came to help me. My oldest, dearest, friend, you have a large heart; you make good, just decisions, and I know that when your time comes you will make Noxell a fine King. You came here expecting to have our engagement formalised…" She looked right into his eyes. "But, with my sincerest apologies, I must decline."

There was a murmur of surprise around the room. Danielle gasped aloud.

"To me, it seems the struggles between our nations since the civil war have been for one to gain dominance over the other." Anzu explained. "If we were to marry, the question would still remain- which country would be absorbed into which? For that reason, and to avoid this struggle of power, I suggest an alliance secured not with our marriage, but with our word. Is this acceptable?"

Yugi bowed slightly, smiling in relief. "Very."

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Danielle was sitting with Jozan- or 'Joanne', she supposed- in a quiet corner of Anzu's celebratory ball. Yugi was with Ryou and Anzu, laughing at something. Amnis was striking up conversation with some of the people they'd been imprisoned with- as it had turned out, the other girls in the house had all been the daughters of various important people, from both countries. Seto was skulking in a corner, eying up the exit hopefully. Jonouchi was talking to the King of Noxell and the old Prince Regent. It was probably a good job that she couldn't hear what was said.

"It was a wise decision…" The King was saying, slowly. "But it does present another problem- A King should not be without a Queen when he gets older, and vice versa. They're such good friends… If they won't marry each other, who will they marry?"

Jonouchi smirked. "Perhaps you should have a word with their Mages…"

The King and Regent looked at him in confusion. "Elaborate…"

"Ow!" Danielle yelped, going cross-eyed as Jozan prodded her in the centre of her forehead.

"Sorry…" Jozan laughed. "I wanted to get your attention… I take it you're going back to Noxell?"

"Yes." Danielle nodded happily.

"Well… Come visit us!" Jozan commanded. "When we've rebuilt Li'anon to twice it's old size!" She smiled happily, but there was worry in it to.

"What's up…Joanne?"

Jozan rubbed the back of her neck. "Uh… Let's just stick to 'Jo' for now, okay?" Danielle laughed at her. "To be honest, I'm a bit nervous. I don't know a thing about building a village… I don't have much to go on, except…" She pulled a strip of red cloth from her pocket. "I have this. The last bit of Li'anon. It was a curtain, but most of it was burnt. I've had it with me since the day it burnt."

"You'll be fine." Danielle assured her. Just then, Ryou walked over.

"Excuse my interruption, but I do think our friend over there is getting impatient…" Ryou nodded over at Seto. "Is it time?"

Danielle nodded. "Jo! Make sure he doesn't leave!" She commanded, hurrying off to one of the back rooms.

"I'll try…" She muttered, wondering just how she was going to stop him in he tried. Then, he moved, striding purposefully towards the door.

"Ahhh, Seto! You're not going already, are you!" Jozan demanded, a little shrilly. Seto was heading towards the door. If he made it, it would ruin everything. She planted himself in his path.

"Yes." He scowled, stepping around her.

"But you can't!"

"And why not?" He raised an eyebrow, but he had stopped.

"Because…um… because…" Jozan floundered, inspiration, for once, escaping her. She glanced towards the doors at the other end of the hall. Still no sign. Where were they! "Because… because…" She'd thought of something, but was desperately trying to think of something, _anything_ other then _that. _

"Four reasons?" Seto teased. "My goodness." He rolled his eyes. "Spit it out, or stop wasting my time."

"Because you haven't danced with me yet!" Jozan blurted out, resigned to her fate.

Seto looked genuinely surprised. "W-what?" He asked, taken aback.

"Yes, yes, come on!" Jozan said, slightly hysterically, grabbing his arms. "You have to dance with me! There's no getting away!" She began to pull him around jerkily, unable to believe she was doing this. Unable to believe she was _dancing _with _Seto_.

They'd better appreciate this. They owed her. Big time.

"…I see I have competition." Someone said, laughing softly from behind Seto's shoulder. He whirled around. Jozan sagged in relief and slipped away to give them some privacy.

"Az…!" He said, wondering if this was some hallucination. Had he picked something up on the quest? Was his mind playing tricks on him? "How did you-"

"Ssh." She said. And she held his hand.

Seto stared at it dumbly for a second.

"You can…?"

"Yes."

"And I don't…?"

"No." She smiled.

"Az." He smiled to, a rare, real smile, and then pulled her close to him. He could feel her warmth, feel her body pressing against his, feel her heart beating and her breath on his shoulder. She was here. She was touching him. For once, the how and why didn't matter to him. "Az…"

It wasn't so much that he didn't know what to say. He did. He knew exactly what to say. He had done for a long time. But he just couldn't do it.

"I love you." She whispered in his ear, from where her head rested on his shoulder. She didn't know how he would react, and he gave no reply, so she pulled away a little to look at his face. He didn't look happy. "Seto…"

"That's just what I was about to say." He complained.

Slowly, she smiled. "You could say it now."

"No, no, the moment's gone." Seto answered, stonily.

She smiled all the wider, and, unable to restrain herself, she took him round the neck and jumped up. He was surprised, but quickly got the message, and held her there. Held her close to him, her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist somewhere. So wonderfully close to him. "I don't care." She said, happily, looking down on his face.

And then she kissed him.

Ryou and Danielle, watching discreetly from across the room, gave each other a small hi-five when no-one was looking. It looked like a job well done. One Tree Spirit successfully separated from her tree in the nick of time, freed from her prison- and her family and home- but alive, and _free_. What a good job it was that someone understood the magic of plants and another the nature of spells on inanimate objects.

They'd never have got to see Seto and Jozan dance, otherwise.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

**Danielle hung over the edge of the stationary boat, silently looking out to sea. The others had all disappeared below the deck, and there she was alone. Even her Yami had withdrawn from her. Perhaps he was running the events of the past through his mind just as she was. Places they'd been, people they'd met, duels won and lost- More often won. The next duel would be the last, though. Then she really would be alone. **

**"Mmm, the air feels good…" Jo stated, announcing her presence on the deck. So much had changed in Danielle's life, and so much would be different by this time the next day, but Jo had remained a constant fixture. She had always been there. "After being in ancient Egypt all that time, it feels nice to have some wind off the sea!"**

**"Yeah…" Danielle agreed, half-heartedly. Jo came to join her by the railing, as the boat began to judder slightly. It was almost time to go.**

**"Have you decided who's going to duel the Pharaoh yet?" Blunt as ever.**

**Danielle nodded. "I will." **

**"I thought you might say that." Jo smiled wryly, before looking down to the water, an inky blue colour as the evening progressed toward night. As another breath of wind flew over the water, the liquid itself moved and was alive. The trees tossed, and a leaf detached, dropping into the water, and sending ripples out all around it. **

**"Some people say…" Jo began, watching as the patterns spread. "That if you look into ripples you can see the future; or that ripples can show you another world, where everything and everyone is just a little different. Mistakes you've made, good things you've done, every decision- all different. New places and new circumstances… New personalities."**

**Danielle stared down to, but all she could see was the reflections of the stars before the boat started to move and the sky was consumed by the spray and ripples from the engines propelling them through the water.**

**"Other worlds, huh…?" She repeated, withdrawing before spray from the side of the boat could catch her face. "…You blatantly stole that from _Doctor Who_."**

**"Oh, c'mon…" Jo pouted. "The 'ripples' bit was mine!"**

**"Whatever, Jo." Danielle snorted. "At any rate, this is our world, and this is what we've got. That's the way the world is. Other worlds…" She glanced down again into the moving waters. "Yeah, right!"**

**But she was wrong. Somewhere, in a land far, far away, she and those around her were living happily ever after.**

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

_At last, the adventure was over, and the heroes went their separate ways._

_Anzu took the throne in Nrefder. The country experienced what came to be known as the golden years under her wise and caring leadership._

_Ryou continues to work in Nrefder palace. He is now very respected. _

_Jozan and Amnis returned to the forest, with new names and a team of workers. They are now setting about reviving Li'anon, to twice the size it used to be._

_Seto continues to come and go as he pleases, wandering the land. He is no longer alone. Az accompanies him, ensuring that the forests are safe._

_Cloward and Karne live happily in obscurity amongst the pedigree horses at Nrefder Palace. The Bernard sits in the harbour, and occasionally runs trips for tourists._

_Jonouchi went to reclaim his land. His father has disappeared, and his sister has also returned to the house. Between them, they are restoring the land and clan back to it's previous status. The first citizens are returning. Jonouchi is due to rejoin the inhabitants of Noxell Castle in a few months, and will back and forth between the two lands._

_Yugi and Danielle returned to Noxell Castle, where life continues in a very similar train as it always did. They intended it to be so. Danielle is currently working on a way to industrialise the floatation charm, while Yugi is heading a crack-down on slavery and people smuggling in Noxell. _

_The people of Nrefder and Noxell alike are no longer afraid, and are looking forward to a bright and fruitful future. _

_**THE END**_

A/N: And there we have it! Thank you for reading, if you got this far, and I hope you enjoyed! Happy birthday once again, Danniru:D Now, back to work on **A Superhero Story**… The next chapter is about two thirds done, and is much more my 'style' then this was. Still… I kinda liked it! And I hope you did to, if you've struggled on this far!


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